Guardian Saga: Seeker
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: The traveler that was never meant to travel, the wanderer with too much knowledge, the woman without a home, the protector of the greatest treasure in the universe. Torn from an alternate reality, Artimes seeks out the Doctor, the only thing she knows in this new world and hopes he doesn't learn of the terrible burden she has to bear, just to keep him safe and to save a few lives.
1. Chapter 1: Darkness Falls

Lady A: Hello everyone and welcome to Guardian Saga: Seeker! This is in no way related to the Phoenix Saga. Also this story will have a linear time stream as opposed to the jumper time stream in Origin. I apologize for those waiting on the next chapter of Phoenix Saga: Origin, but this story was becoming a tad bit demanding. It is set a few months before the events of Christmas Invasion, so only Ten and beyond.

One final thing before we get started, this story is dedicated to JustThatOneYoutubeNerd, for it was through her excitement and assistance that this story came into being. I love you, Arya and thank you!

Now on with the show!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything affiliated with the program. Also I do not own anything I make references to. I only own the insanity that is my OC and the crazy plot line. This Disclaimer will only appear in the first chapter.

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Chapter One: Darkness Falls

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Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep!

A singular arm reached out from under the dark blue comforter, trying to locate the source of the atrocious noise that dared to interrupt the former sleeper's dreams and silence it into oblivion. The outstretched hand swatted and patted the space where the contraption should have been, only to discover that it clearly wasn't where it was supposed to be.

A distinctly female voice groaned in annoyance as the owner of said voice, one Artimes Blaine, remembered that she had placed the digital alarm clock on the dresser which resided at the other side of the room. It was to prevent her from hitting the snooze bar a half a dozen times, throwing the stupid thing across the room, or in the worst case scenario, using on a hammer on the blasted thing.

The woman whimpered as she poked her head out from under the covers, the sunlight accosting her sleep laden, royal blue eyes. Her crimson hair fell into her face as she sat up, blowing it away in an exaggerated manner as she glared venom soaked daggers at the still beeping alarm clock. What in the world possessed her to make her put the device on the other side of the room in the first place? Oh yeah, it was so she wouldn't be late for her shift at the gas station where she had been working for the last four years as a cashier.

Remembering why she was in this predicament, she so wanted to gut the new manager for being a sadistic, little clotpole and dance on his entrails for assigning her the morning shift. She swore he did that on purpose just so she would snap at him and give him the opportunity to fire her.

She hated mornings with a passion for two very specific reasons. One, she was not a morning person; she slept when she wanted to which just happened to be during daylight hours. The second reason was far more personal. Having to work during the day meant sleeping at night and it stole the precious few hours she had for seeing the stars. She loved star gazing and thinking about distant planets, stars, and galaxies. There were so many different forms of life on this little world and she could just imagine just how many more there was out in space.

It's said that every living thing has impossible wish, a desire that could never be granted no matter how much it was wished for. She was no exception to this statement for she, too, had an impossible wish. All her life, she has wanted one thing…to see the stars, just a little bit closer. She knew it would never happen, but that never stopped her from wishing that it could happen.

The red head sighed heavily and begrudgingly, got out of bed. She walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room and with one final glare; she smacked her hand down on the infernal noise maker, sighing in relief at the silence. Did she mention that she really hated mornings? She picked out her outfit for the day; dark blue jeans, a long sleeved black shirt, black socks, black converse, a dark crimson leather jacket, a navy blue neck tie, and her undergarments. She set the items on her bed before heading to the bathroom.

She couldn't help the small grin on her face when she thought about her tie and converse, two items that were added to her usual attire because of her love for a certain doctor. Her wardrobe had altered quite a bit since she became addicted to a British television series called Doctor Who. She had watched the classic Who with her mother, but had never really gotten into it. The series had been cancelled and off the air for about ten years before returning in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston playing the part of the Ninth Doctor.

She had fallen in love with the series right from the beginning after watching the first episode called _Rose_. However, she didn't become a Whovian from just that. Oh no, she became slightly obsessed upon the arrival of the Tenth Doctor portrayed by the absolutely gorgeous David Tennant. It was Ten that had inspired her nightly ritual of star gazing. Don't get her wrong, she loved Matt Smith, though it did take her a bit to get used to him after the loss of David and though, she did not particularly care for Peter Capaldi, it was still the Doctor.

She showered quickly, drying off even faster, and raced to brush her teeth. She wanted to watch Season Two Episode One: Christmas Invasion before going into work. Ten was the only one that could calm her down and not murder her new boss. It was also the episode that made her fall head over heels in love with a fictional character. When you have a handsome alien who can travel through all of time and space in a bigger on the inside blue box and fighting atop a spaceship with a sword in order to save the Earth…yeah, she was a goner.

She finished up in the bathroom and went back to her bedroom. She threw on her clothes with a speed that belied her quick changing expertise. She grabbed her beige messenger bag and tossed the strap over her head, the bag resting on her left hip. She picked up a small, thin leather wallet containing a blank, rectangular card inside. She had bought it at a Doctor Who convention and it was meant to be the Doctor's infamous psychic paper. She slipped it into the right hand pocket of her jeans.

She then walked over to the dresser and opened a medium sized wooden jewelry box. It had Gallifreyan symbols carved into the sides and on the top. Inside the box was her pride and joy, a custom made, hand crafted by her, sonic screwdriver. It was similar in design to Ten's, but it was slightly larger and was a sleek metallic black color as opposed to silver. Instead of the light blue tip, hers had a royal blue tip that matched her eyes. She had spent hours at the Build-Your-Own-Sonic workshop in order to complete it with a satisfactory result. It had the red setting and dampers like River's sonic, but it also had a boosted power supply so she wouldn't have to change the batteries all the time.

The thing that made her the most happy was that she had fitted her sonic screwdriver with a psychic interface, more commonly known to the Whovian world as the Point and Think feature. It was a feature only found with Eleven's sonic but not with Ten's, but she couldn't go without it. She slipped the tube like device into her inner left jacket pocket, a huge grin adorning her face as she ran from the room.

She raced into the living room, grabbing the remote control along the way, and plopped onto the couch with a laugh. She may have only been a cashier but she had made damn certain to save up enough money to buy the complete Doctor Who series, including the Classic Who. She really didn't want to clog up her DVR with nothing but episodes. She clicked play and settled into a reclined position on her couch, smiling softly when David came barreling out of the Tardis still dressed in the Ninth's clothes.

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Artimes mentally berated herself for giving in, yet again, to her inner fan girl. She ended up re-watching the sword fight scene twice and the wardrobe scene three times, still a little miffed that no one had been waiting for the Doctor after he was finished changing. She was now running incredibly late for work and was rushing down the street like a mad woman. She didn't make enough in wages to afford a car and the subsequent insurance which left her with only one option, running. You couldn't ride a bicycle in this town because people were constantly milling about, making it impossible to get any speed for it to actually be an effective means of travel. The fare for a taxi was simply ridiculous because of the wait times on the road.

She lived in Northern Florida, close to Orlando, while her family lived in Mid Florida, on the other side of Tampa so she couldn't exactly bum a ride from any of her relatives. She probably wouldn't have even if they lived closer because her family thought her to be useless and worthless. It had been the reason why she had moved out, more like tossed out by her folks. Didn't help matters that she had failed out of college three times, so they really thought was nothing.

Her brother, Trinity, hadn't even made it out of high school, though he did get a GED, and she actually graduated. Not like anyone cared in the first place. Her mother had only been there because the red head needed a ride to school. He was currently living up in the Northeast in the state of New York, along with his wife and two sons. He barely remembered that had a younger sister that was seven years his junior. No one seemed to care that she was twenty five year old white female who was horrifically single, was living entirely on her own, and was currently friendless. All her friends had moved on and left her behind for bigger and brighter things.

She had long since gotten used to being abandoned and her loneliness was only made bearable by her love for Doctor Who, a story that chronicled the adventures of the last Timelord in existence, someone who knew how it felt to be completely and utterly alone. The Doctor was the only man in the universe that would understand how she felt…too bad he was a fictional character and she, a real life person. She really wished the Doctor was real, but at the same time, the monsters would be real too. She smiled slightly, remembering what Reinette had said in _The Girl in the Fireplace_: 'One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.'

Though she was alone, the crimson haired woman held true to the promise the Doctor made when he had chosen his name, 'Never cruel nor cowardly. Never give up, never give in.' The Doctor never gave up and neither would she. Her life may have been incredibly boring and a brilliant example of absolutely ordinary, but it was her life and she made the most of what she had. She lived her life like every day was an adventure, hence the absurd amount of running she does day after day…she simply never knew what she might find and maybe something truly amazing and impossible might happen.

She cut down an alley to avoid the massive amount of people that swarmed the shopping district at this God forsaken hour. Was everyone in this city early birds and sun worshipers? What happen to all the night owls and late night partiers? She kept running until something in her peripheral vision caught her attention, forcing her to slow down. She turned back around and walked back in the direction she had just come from. She looked around trying to find the odd anomaly that called to her curiosity and interrupted her mad dash to work.

Her royal blue eyes landed on a brick wall, but more importantly, the crack that was in said wall. She stared at it, not really believing what she was seeing. It was same shape, the exact same shape, but how was that possible? How could the crack in little Amelia's bedroom wall exist here in a brick wall in real life? It just wasn't possible. Her mind told her to walk away and forget about it, considering she was already late for work, but her body refused to budge, her feet rooted to the ground. Her instincts were telling her to move closer, to examine and study it.

Artimes was known for her intense curiosity and it certainly got her into trouble a time or two. She was having one hell of a mental debate inside her head, but as always, her curiosity won out over her logic. She stepped closer to it and her inner fan girl was screaming at her to touch it. She lifted her right hand slowly as she inched closer and closer to the impossible crack, an entranced expression on her face.

Her fingers touched the crack and she held her breath a moment. After a few seconds, she let out a sigh of disappointment. Nothing had happened; it was just a simple crack in an ordinary wall. Her hand fell limply to her side, her eyes sad and dejected. Nothing amazing ever happened to her and why would it? She was nothing; just another insignificant, little ape blundering about on this tiny, little world. She turned around and took a few steps away from it. She blinked away the tears that tried to form because of her idiocy and was about to leave when she heard a loud ripping sound coming from behind her.

She turned slowly back towards the wall and her eyes widened to the shape of saucers and her mouth dropped open in shock. The crack wasn't a crack anymore…it was glowing in a white light and actually opening. She shielded her eyes as the light became brighter. The wind picked up around her and the sound of it rushing past her ears made it sound like something was howling.

She began to panic as her feet started sliding forward, the pull from the now fully opened crack dragging her closer. Her mind jumped into overdrive as she remembered what happened to Rory on the show. If she came into contact with that white light then she would be erased from time, never having existed in the first place. Her own personal time stream would be unwritten and she would be gone forever. She tried to fight against the pulling but the suction grew stronger. Suddenly, the light vanished and she was pitched forward into the crack.

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Darkness…she was surrounded by darkness, a darkness that went on forever. There was no light; not a flicker, a glimmer, or a glow. She couldn't even see herself. There was no sound either…just silence. The silence was deafening and she briefly missed her stupid, irritating alarm clock. To say she was scared was a major understatement, she was completely petrified. She didn't know where she was. How long had she had been there? It felt like forever but at the same time, it felt like she had only just arrived. No light, no sound, no time…just darkness, permanent darkness and the never ending and all consuming silence.

"I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am." She said over and over again, her mind beginning to buckle under the strain.

She curled into herself, her hands clutching her head as she rocked.

"I don't know where I am. I don't where I am." She repeated slowly being driven mad.

She was lost…so very, very lost…lost in the darkness. The silence was clawing at her mind; ripping apart her sanity, carving out her individuality, raping her very soul. She didn't know where she was. She just wanted to go home. The weight of the darkness pressed in on her, the silence forcing her soul to the very edge. She was at the brink, a breath would send her into oblivion, but right as her soul was about to shatter, ten words echoed through her being. Ten words that possessed a strength like no other.

'Never cruel nor cowardly. Never give up, never give in.'

Every fiber of her being screamed as her very essence, everything that made her who she was, pushed the darkness away and banished the silence. She fought with everything she had and unknown to her, something had felt the purity of her being and resonated with it. A silver light appeared, its sudden appearance blinding her, and it collided with her body, completely engulfing her in a soft, silver glow. Every nerve felt like it had been struck with massive jolt of electricity, but it wasn't painful; it was warm, bright, and strong. The light buried itself deep within her soul, repairing the damage that had been done and protecting her from such the hellish place she resided in.

The glow faded and she was once again enshrouded in darkness and the silence was still ever present, but now…now she was waiting. Waiting for what or for whom, she did not know, but she knew something was coming and that something would save her from the never ending darkness and dispel the silence that had raped her sanity.

Soon…so very, very soon.

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Lady A: Tada! Chapter One: Darkness Falls of the Guardian Saga: Seeker is complete! Crazy right! Oh, I know it was completely mental and that was probably a horrible place to end the chapter but in my defense, this chapter is over three thousand words which is pretty damn good for me since I have been doing mostly stuff that is two thousand words and under. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Two: Into the Light which will be coming very, very soon and thanks again to my beloved Arya for convincing me to post this sooner rather than later! Stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Light

Lady A: Hello folks and welcome back to Guardian Saga: Seeker! Thanks a million to those who reviewed, faved, and followed! Slight deviation from the norm: I have recently posted a Merlin fic set before the Great Purge. It's an OC/OC pairing, but it allows us to go back and see what happened back then. Not to mention, it's an idea that I haven't actually seen in that particular fandom. So check it out if you like. Right, back to GS: Seeker.

Brief Recap: We met our main female character, Artimes Blaine and she is a total Whovian. She found a crack that was identical to the one found in little Amelia's bedroom wall. She touched the crack and it opened, drawing her into the Void, the space in between parallel dimensions. She was struck by an odd silver light and we don't know what it has done, but what we do know, is that she is waiting.

Looking Forward: Artimes is released from the Void, but how? By who? By what? What happened to her when she was tossed back into reality? Was it her reality? Oh no, it was entirely brand new. Hold on, what's wrong with her sonic screwdriver and why is the psychic paper burning?

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Chapter Two: Into the Light

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Time held no meaning in the place that was without sound and light. She stood there in the darkness, the silence her only companion. She felt like she had been waiting for an eternity, but it also felt like she had only just begun to wait. She didn't know where she was, but it didn't matter because she was waiting. How long would she wait? What was she waiting for? Why was she waiting? Would it ever come? When would she be free of the darkness? How long did she have to wait in the pitch black silence of the Void?

She frowned. Void? She knew that word. That word held meaning. Why did that word hold meaning? Why was it important? She did not understand, but it didn't matter because she was waiting. She remained in the darkness, simply waiting. How long had she been there? There was no time in this place, so how did one measure it if it did not exist? It didn't matter because she was waiting…but why was she waiting? She frowned again. Waiting…always waiting.

A cracking sound echoed through the darkness, shattering the silence. A white light appeared in front of her in the form of a crack, a crack with a very familiar shape. That shape seemed so familiar to her, something in the back of her mind told her that the shape of the crack was important. She knew that shape, but why was it here? Was the crack what she had been waiting for? No, it was not the crack but something that the crack would bring. The crack would bring something very soon, something very important.

An eternity passed and yet no time passed at all. She stared at the softly glowing crack, frowning as she tried to remember why the shape was so important. Brief images fluttered across her mind's eye as she continued to stare, but none of them made sense; some were of her, some were of a strange man wearing a brown overcoat, some were of a magical box that showed more images of the strange man, some were her running, but she always seemed alone.

A familiar howling sound shattered the silence once more, the crack glowing brighter. The images in her mind changed…changed to things she had not yet lived; a blonde woman, a dark skinned man, a brown haired man in bed with gold dust coming from his mouth, the shine of metal as the sun refracted off the blade of a sword, a resounding smack as heads collided, flashes of green accompanied by intense anger, more waiting, the cold, the strange man in the overcoat again, feelings of great joy, and she wasn't alone there. People were with her, but she couldn't see them clearly.

The loud ripping sound from so long ago and yet not long at all joined the howling sound as the crack opened completely. She was blinded by the incredibly bright, white light. She squinted as a figure walked through the light, its body backlit, casting his face in shadows. The figure…no, a man approached her quickly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. He was young, late twenties or perhaps early thirties, and he was strong yet surprisingly skinny.

Who was this person? Why was he embracing her? Did he know her? Did she know him? He seemed so familiar…like she should remember him but she didn't. He pressed her head against his chest and she heard a new sound…no, it wasn't new, it was old yet it was new too. She knew that sound, a sound so familiar yet unfamiliar…confusing yet soothing...foreign yet welcomed.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…One, two, three, four…Thump, thump, thump, thump…One, two, three, four. It was a heartbeat. No, that wasn't right. It was two heartbeats. The sound of two hearts beating against her ear. This man had two hearts. That was important…so very, very important. Why was it important? This sound was important, but she couldn't remember. Why couldn't she remember?!

She stilled when his mouth ventured near her ear. He whispered two words in her ear and those two words were unlike anything she had ever heard before. She did not know the language but she did recognize it. It had sounded so beautiful, almost like singing, and yet it was so very ancient and very, very powerful. Those two words unlocked her mind and allowed her memories to flood back into existence; her home, her reality, her friends, her family, the show she loved above all else, and the man of fiction that had stolen her heart. The Void had driven her to forget but thanks to this impossible man, she remembered.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…One, two, three, four…Thump, thump, thump, thump…One, two, three, four. Two hearts, the heartbeat of a Timelord. She looked up at him and grinned, knowing exactly who he was now. She couldn't see his face for it was cloaked in darkness, but there was no doubt in her mind about his identity and for the first time in forever, she was happy, honestly truly happy. He pulled her towards the crack and she went with him willingly, her trust in him absolute.

He cupped her face with his hands, his warmth relaxing her. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, caring, and loving manner…like she was the most important person in the whole of creation. Her heart swelled with joy as he deepened the kiss, his movements seeming almost desperate and yet filled with such sadness. Why was he so sad when she was so happy? That wasn't fair. He should be happy too and yet he wasn't. She was startled when he pulled away and panicked when he pushed her into the closing crack. She was blinded by the white light and slipped into unconsciousness.

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Artimes groaned, her entire body aching like she had just been hit by a truck. Her brain felt like it was in a fog but it was slowly coming back online. She rolled onto her side as she opened her eyes. She was not in the alleyway anymore or at least not the same alleyway she had just been in. She rose to her feet slowly, her head throbbing and her legs like jelly. She shook her head trying to shake away the rest of the fog so she could think clearly.

What the hell had happened to her? Bits and pieces floated through her mind and she sorted through her recent history. She remembered wanting to mutilate her new boss (nothing new there really), she wanted to use a hammer on her alarm clock (again that wasn't anything new and was honestly expected), she had been watching the Doctor wielding a sword (God knows how many times she had watched that particular scene), she had been running late for work (come to think of it, that had been happening a lot lately), and then…

Her eyes widened as she remembered the crack and how it had sucked her inside, but what happened after that? That white light…had she been erased from time like Rory? That couldn't be right because she was still here and she seriously doubted that there was an impossible Scottish girl to remember her like the Doctor. She snapped her fingers as she remembered that the light had vanished before she was actually sucked in so that meant it hadn't touched her.

She shivered as the wind blew through the alleyway, making her hyperaware of how chilled she was becoming. Why was it so dastardly cold? It had been in the middle of spring and Florida had a sub tropical climate, so why did it feel closer to late fall? She zipped up her jacket, but then remembered, rather belatedly, that her sonic screwdriver was still in her inner left jacket pocket and it was pressing pretty hard against her chest. She growled slightly as she unzipped her jacket and removed the tube like device, frowning when she noticed that it was slightly heavier than before.

She raised it up, the tip pointing slightly in the direction of a street light, and pressed the button. It made the same noise as the Doctor's screwdriver which was odd because she could never get the sound right when she had been tweaking it at the workshop. She gasped when the street light sparked and exploded. She immediately switched off the device and stared at it in shock. How the hell did that happen? It was just a toy, wasn't it? Unless…unless she was no longer in her world and somehow the transition from her world to the one she was now in had changed it from a toy to the actual thing. That couldn't be right! That would mean that she was in the Whoniverse!

Her mind brought up several disjointed images that seemed to be enshrouded in darkness. There was the crack and the howling. The light, something had come out of the light. The image of a backlit man, his features shrouded in darkness slipped into the center of her focus. That strange man had held her close and whispered something into her ear, but she couldn't seem to grasp what he had said.

It had sounded like singing and yet ancient. She couldn't focus on it for long because her mind brought forth the images of the kiss they had shared and she blushed as she touched her lips with her left hand. That had been her first kiss and she didn't even know who he was or why he was there. A sound echoed through her mind, making her face scrunch up in confusion.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Four beats, more like thump thump…thump thump, but that would mean he had two hearts, but that was impossible, right? Her eyes widened as her brain started to short circuit. Holy shit, the man who had kissed her had two hearts! Factor in the appearance of the crack and the song like language (which she had a stinking suspicion that it was, in fact, Gallifreyan, though she had no way to prove that considering there had been no verbal form back in her world), then she was pretty damn certain that she had met the Doctor…THE Doctor…THE DOCTOR!

Was it really possible? Could she have really met him? Could she really be in an alternate reality where the Doctor was real? She looked down at the screwdriver in her hand and her brain decided to go bye bye as her inner fan girl went Ipswich and literally fawned all over her sonic screwdriver before immediately placing it back in her jacket, a huge grin on her face.

Her eyes lit up as she remembered the psychic paper in her right pocket and she wondered if that worked as well. She fished it out of her pocket and focused on what she wanted it to say, feeling slightly idiotic for doing so but excited nonetheless. The paper began to warm up in her hand and she looked down at it. Her eyes widened in surprise at the message she was reading.

_You are such a fan girl. Now stop staring at the psychic paper and run! Torchwood is on its way! Jack x_

She wasn't entirely sure if she should trust what she had read, but then she remembered everything she knew about Torchwood One based out of Canary Wharf. Not the friendliest bunch of people and if they had picked up her sonic then they were coming for her and maybe even UNIT too. Shit! She shoved the psychic paper back into her pocket and ran like she had never had before.

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She stopped to catch her breath about an hour later. She leaned heavily against a wall, her legs wobbly from the constant exertion. Had that really been Jack on the psychic paper? She couldn't even bring herself to think about it as she slid down the wall and sat on the ground, ignoring how the cold sidewalk sapped the warmth from her already chilled body. She had figured out a while ago that she was no longer in Florida but somewhere in London. The big red, double decker buses were a dead giveaway. That and people were driving on the left side of the road rather than the right side like in America.

She honestly didn't know what was going on. Her brain seemed to be crammed with so many things; recent memories, a few billion questions, several mysteries including Jack, and she honestly didn't know what to do next. She was in a strange world with no means of identification and even if she did exist in this world which was highly unlikely, she couldn't just go and steal her alternate's life like that. She rose to her feet, her legs still shaking and her feet were aching. She hissed as she felt a burning sensation in her right pocket. She pulled out the psychic paper and flipped it out open, the burning subsiding.

_Half mile ahead of you. Library. Check the newspapers for the last two years. Go. Jack x._

Newspapers? Oh, he meant for her to become apprised of where she was or more likely, when she was. Timelines and all that jazz, but what did it have to do with her? Sure, she was from an alternate reality, but that didn't mean that she was directly involved with anything, was there? It also didn't explain how he knew her, how he knew that she had psychic paper, or even why he was helping her in the first place.

_Stop thinking, Princess and go. Don't use your sonic. Jack x_

No shit Sherlock! She had figured out that much on her own! She wasn't an idiot! She glared at the psychic paper a moment before following his instructions. Why was she choosing to trust former Time Agent and ex con man, Captain Jack Harkness, who wrote the book on flirting and knew exactly what to say to get his way?

_Because you like me, Princess. There will be a package waiting for you at the library. It has everything you'll need to blend in without Torchwood finding you. Jack x_

Her jaw clenched slightly as she glared at the psychic paper again. She was so going to kill him when she met him in person. It didn't matter if it was past, present, or future Jack because she was going to kill him. She hated him right now.

_No you don't. Jack x_

Her sour mood evaporated as she smiled slightly, shoving the psychic paper back in her pocket. She shook her head as she chuckled softly. That foxy captain was simply too hard to resist and it took way too much effort to stay angry at him. She continued her trek towards the library, wondering what the hell she had gotten herself dragged into. So much for a normal life…normal was boring and she hated being bored.

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Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 2 of GS: Seeker is complete! Certainly was fun having Jack thrown in there, but how does he know her? Why is he helping her? Does he somehow know her future? What will happen when she gets to the library? Will she be able to evade Torchwood One and blend in to her new world? What exactly did the Doctor whisper in her ear? Why did he kiss her? So many questions so little time! But hold on! Why was the Doctor even there to begin with? Anyways, keep a lookout for Chapter 3: Blonde Intervention! Leave tons and tons of reviews and stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: Blonde Intervention

Lady A: Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay in posting but I needed to write up a few more chapters and since I am now starting on Chapter Eleven in the hand written version, I deemed it safe to post again. I'll try to get three chapters out this week, but they are kind of long so don't be surprised if I don't update for a few days.

Brief Recap: Artimes met a future version of the Doctor, was released from the Void, and went fan girl for a few minutes upon realizing she had a real sonic screwdriver. She also learned that she had been transported from one universe to another, The Doctor is real, and for some unknown reason, Captain Jack Harkness was helping her via messages on her psychic paper. She was now following his instructions and going to a library so she could think.

Looking Forward: Artimes learns when exactly she is in the timeline, discovers a rather interesting detail about her messenger bag, and breaks the Doctor's first rule: Don't Wander Off. As such, she has an unlikely encounter that she certainly was not expecting. Hey, hold on…was that Ianto?

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Chapter Three: Blonde Intervention

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Artimes finally reached the library and eyed it wearily from the outside. She wanted to trust Jack, really she did, but just because she was in a universe where he and the Doctor were real, it didn't necessarily mean that she was in the universe from the show. How could she trust him when he wouldn't even explain why he was helping her, how he knew she was here, or how he knew about her sonic screwdriver and psychic paper. For all she knew, this could be a trap or some kind of test…or he could be exactly like his Doctor Who counterpart. She growled in frustration and almost started pacing on the sidewalk…almost.

Her eyes widened when saw a very familiar person heading into the library. Short brown hair, snappy suit, and very cute…it was Ianto Jones, a member of Jack's team. He was carrying a package into the library. He exited a few minutes later, his hands empty. He glanced across the street and caught sight of her. She stiffened and considered bolting, but then he smiled at her…that warm and kind smile that always made her like his Torchwood counterpart. He nodded in understanding and left the area, leaving a perplexed red head in his wake.

She smiled slightly as her inner fan girl screamed in delight. She had just seen Ianto Jones and he had smiled at her! He must have met a future version of her. That was the only explanation and it would account for Jack's knowledge of her. Maybe she was friends with Jack and his team in the future or was it the past; bloody time travel. She decided to trust Jack and Ianto and went into the library. She walked over to the reception desk and asked about the package. It was given to her and she was shown to one of the private research rooms on the upper floor.

She ripped into the box both curious and hesitant to know what was in it. She gasped when she saw the absurd amount of cash in it, but that wasn't the only thing inside. There was an ID, passport, birth certificate, diploma, vaccination records, and several other documents in relations to her identity. Jack had been right that it would have everything she needed to blend in and avoid Torchwood One.

She frowned when she realized that she had no way of carrying all of it without being suspicious. She glanced at her messenger bag and started packing the items inside, only to discover that it was bigger on the inside. Her inner fan girl was screaming something about Timelord science as she finished her packing. She glanced one last time into the box and smiled when saw a cell phone or as the Brits would call it, a mobile. She picked it up and started scrolling through the contacts. There was Jack, Ianto, Owen, and Toshiko. She grinned before placing it in her pocket. She would call them later after she had figured out when she was in the timeline.

With that thought in mind, she sat down at the computer and started sifting through the newspapers. She came across the coverage for the explosion at Henrick's, Rose's former workplace, so she knew that the Doctor had met Rose. Then there was the huge hoax thing about the shop window dummies, so she was definitely past the first episode. She found a large article depicting the alien ship crashing into Big Ben and the subsequent missile attack that destroyed 10 Downing Street. That she meant she was past _Aliens of London_ and _World War Three_. She found a rather small article about an earthquake in Cardiff and that meant that _Boom Town_ was also over.

That left her with a big problem. She was either at the events of the two part season finale of series one: _Bad Wolf_ and _The Parting of the Ways_ which eventually led to the mini episode called _Born Again_…or she was in the period before the events of Season Two Episode One: _Christmas Invasion_, the first full episode with the Tenth regeneration of the Doctor. She flicked through some more newspapers until she found the one for today. It was September 9, 2006, roughly three months before the Doctor crashed the Tardis onto the street in front of the Powell estate.

Her phone beeped and she unlocked the screen. She had a new message from the foxy captain.

_You always seem to break The Rules. You know how much the Doctor hates that. Jack x_

She frowned at the text message, her mind trying to understand why Jack was being so cryptic. Then she noticed how the 'T' and 'R' in 'The Rules' was capitalized. Was he referring to the Doctor's Rules? The most well known rule of the Doctor was 'Rule One: The Doctor Lies' but there was an alternate one that he said a lot to his companions: 'Rule One: Don't Wander Off'. Was that what she was meant to do? He said she broke the rules. Maybe she needed to go wander about London town, but what would that accomplish?

She sighed heavily as she pocketed her phone and grabbed her messenger bag. She left the library and just started walking. She honestly had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. As the sun continued its journey across the sky, the temperatures began to drop. She shivered and she forced her mind to try and think of something else and not the fact that she was freezing her butt off.

The reality of her situation was now sinking in and for the first time in a very long while, she felt truly isolated and alone. Back in her world, it hadn't been too much of an issue because she had the show to occupy her mind. The Doctor had always been there, even if he had only been fictional in her world. Now she didn't even have that.

She had been ripped from her reality and frightfully mundane life and thrown into a world where she didn't even exist, a world where the Doctor was real and gallivanting through the cosmos, a world where Jack was real and all the crap he had gone through and will go through, a world where all matters of aliens and monsters where real and trying to destroy the human race or the universe or even time itself, and worse still, she had to contend with the self righteous and supposedly morally superior Torchwood Institute that she had to run and hide from.

Deep down, she wished the Doctor was here with her so she could ask him what she should do, but what could she possibly tell him that wouldn't make her sound bark raving mad? She just couldn't walk up to him and say 'Hi, my name is Artimes Blaine. I'm from a parallel universe, well more like an alternate one. In my reality, you're just a fictional character from a television series called Doctor Who, so that means I know about your past and future. I want to travel with you in your blue box that's bigger on the inside and that can travel throughout all time and space. It's lovely to meet you!'

Yeah, no, that was never going to work. The entire thing was too absurd and fantastical for even the Doctor to swallow. He would probably think that she had some kind of temporal perception or was some insane human psychic. The worst case scenario was if he thought she was an unstable time sensitive and that she was too dangerous to be left alive. He would perform the Final Action on her, scooping out her mind and turning her into complete vegetable with no sense of self or purpose. She shuddered at the thought of him being forced to do that. She knew it was the one thing he never wanted to do to another living thing.

She rubbed her hand over her face before unbraiding her hair and letting it fall down her back in waves. It ended just past her mid back and she started brushing through it anxiously. She was completely out of her depth and her comfort zone was in an parallel universe. She felt like crying, like screaming at the top of her lungs, but she knew that neither action would do any good and it would just drain of her energy and make her hoarse. She needed to distract herself so she started sifting through her memories of the Void.

She still wondered what the Doctor had whispered in her ear. The words he spoke somehow unlocked her mind and allowed her to remember who she was, but why? He had only said two words and she briefly smiled when she remembered _Turn Left_ and Rose's warning of Bad Wolf. She focused her mind back on the memory. Two words, but spoken in a language that could only have been Gallifreyan, the ancient and powerful song like language. What were those two words? Her mind flashed to the kiss. It had been so gentle and caring, desperate and sad, and the way he held her like she was his world…why would he do that? Why kiss her like that unless…she stopped dead in her tracks as her brain came up with the only explanation that included all the facts.

Two words spoken in Gallifreyan, whispered to her like a man whispering to his lover. Oh God! It couldn't…he couldn't…she couldn't…they couldn't…were they…will they…no way…Holy Shit, it was his name! She knew the English translation from the show: Theta Sigma, but he had spoken in Gallifreyan, his native tongue and told her his name! Why?! Why tell her now when they hadn't even met yet?! Was it important? Was she going to need it in a future event? Why, why, why, why, WHY?!

She was broken out of her roller coaster of thoughts and emotions when she heard a very familiar voice cursing about too many bags for one person to carry. Artimes looked around quickly, trying to locate the origin of the voice. Her eyes landed on the knelt down and hunched over figure of Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother. Apparently, the blonde woman had just been shopping and dropped her bags, groceries littering the ground. Without thinking of the possible consequences of getting involved, Artimes ran up to her and knelt down in front of her, grabbing items and helping the blonde bag them.

"Are you alright? Do you need help carrying this lot?" The red head asked her voice slipping into a British accent easily and momentarily forgetting that she was speaking to Rose's mother.

Artimes watched way too much British television. Her co-workers would always tease her when she would slip into a British accent at random, saying she was a Doctor Who junkie and that she should just move to Britain since she spoke and acted like a Brit.

"Oh you don't have to. I can manage." The blonde answered still focusing on the scattered shopping and not looking up.

"I don't mind helping. Don't you have anyone to help ya?" Artimes asked catching a few cans that tried to escape the blonde's grasp.

"Not right now. My daughter's traveling so just me." Jackie answered her tone belying her sadness.

Seeing Jackie so sad made Artimes remembered that she was alone too. She didn't have anything; no home, no family, no friends…just nothing. It made her want to shrink into a ball and disappear.

"I'm on my own too. My home, my family…it's all gone." Artimes replied her voice wavering slightly as she forced back the tears wanting to form in her eyes.

Jackie looked up at the ginger haired woman, staring straight into her eyes. The elder Tyler's eyes softened with understanding after a moment.

"Got any friends? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Perhaps a flat mate?" The blonde asked her mouth just running away with her.

If the red head hadn't been so depressed, she would have laughed at Jackie's rocket fire questions.

"No, there's no one, just me. Found myself homeless rather recently, today in fact. All I've got is what I have with me. The woman without a home and nowhere to go. I was just wandering around, no idea what to do with myself. My feet led me here." The red head answered her tone so sad but she barely noticed.

She forced a smile and looked at the blonde woman.

"Good thing too. Now I can help ya tote this stuff back to your flat so you don't lose thing anything. Then I'll be on my way and out of your hair." Artimes continued finally bagging the last of items.

Jackie just stared at her, the gears clearly turning in her mind. It was if she was trying to come to a decision. The conflict faded from her eyes and she smiled.

"Who said I wanted you out of my hair? Come on, you can live with me while we get you sorted." The elder Tyler declared shocking the red head.

"What?" Artimes asked her tone almost identical to Ten's when he was shocked by something.

Jackie stood up, pulling the stunned ginger to her feet.

"You heard me. You're living with me and I'll hear no arguments out of ya. My mind's made up." Jackie insisted.

"But…" Artimes started trying to show the older woman the logic of the situation but the blonde cut her off.

"No buts. I'll make ya a nice cuppa when we get home. You look chilled to the bone." Jackie interjected splitting the bags between them.

Artimes gaped at her like a fish out of water, completely confused by this turn of events. First Jack then Ianto and now Jackie, why was everyone helping her?

"Jackie Tyler." The blonde introduced.

"Artimes Blaine." The red head responded automatically, her befuddled mind still stuck.

"Pleasure to meet ya, sweetheart. Come on." The elder Tyler replied looping her arm through the ginger's and dragging her in the direction of the Powell estate.

Artimes decided that it would do no good to argue with the woman. There was a reason why Rose was so stubborn. She came by it honestly from her mother. Still, she hadn't expected the elder Tyler to just invite her into her home and let her live with her out of the blue like that. No one in her old universe had ever shown such kindness to her before. No one had cared and that was what made it so surprising. She wasn't used to someone wanting her around.

A stray through crossed her mind. Did Jack know that this would happen? Was that the reason for his strange cryptic message and the reason why he hadn't sent anymore while she had been wandering? Was she meant to meet Jackie on her own? Did that mean she was meant to become part of the Doctor's life in some way? Too many questions, not enough answers, and a cup of tea sounded really good at that moment. She was freezing her butt off and her stomach growled, telling her that she was hungry too. Blimey, she was a mess.

* * *

Lady A: Tada! Chapter 3: Blonde Intervention is complete! You know the hand written version of this chapter is kind of short and yet once I got typing it literally exploded all over the place. I mean I expounded on quite a few things and initially I didn't have the brief introduction of Ianto nor did I have the actual details of her sifting through the newspapers. Plus I modified the parts where she was thinking and added more emotions to her talk with Jackie. I understand that it was weird for Jackie to just invite Artimes into her home like that, but the reason for it will come to light later so you'll at least understand why she might have done it.

Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 4: Ripples and Realities! Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4: Ripples and Realities

Lady A: As promised, another chapter for all you lovely people. Don't worry, we will get to the Doctor soon enough. It will be the chapter after this one, okay? However, some things must be done first and thus the reason for this chapter. A big thank you to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed and of course, much love to my beloved Arya for keeping me going!

Brief Recap: Artimes arrives at the library and gets the package left for her by Jack and Ianto. She investigates the newspapers and discovers where she is in the timeline of events. After a great deal of introspection, she figures out that The Doctor whispered his name into her ear while she was in the Void. Oh and Jackie insisted that Artimes move in with her and simply wouldn't take no for an answer. Blimey, she's one stubborn woman.

Looking Forward: Artimes bites the bullet and reveals her secret to the elder Tyler. They discuss what she is going to do in the future and the red head explains why she told Jackie her secret. Artimes spends the holidays with Mickey and Jackie and her fears and doubts begin to take root. The ginger haired woman begins to relive her time in the Void as a result, only endearing herself more to the elder Tyler and to Mickey.

Now enough spoilers from me! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Four: Ripples and Realities

* * *

It had been a little over a month since Artimes had been invited to live with Rose's mother. During that time, the red head had met Mickey and upon hearing that she knew about the Doctor, the two had become fast friends. Her relationship with Jackie was even more surprising as the elder Tyler seemed to have unofficially adopted her as her daughter. She would always fuss over the ginger's well being and always made she was never alone for too long.

The whole thing was just very bizarre for Artimes. Her family hadn't been the most supportive and she was usually ignored unless they demanded her to do something or to help out. She had never been allowed to be upset or angry or even depressed. They always wanted her to be happy, helpful, and basically at their beck and call. Jackie seemed to have picked up on this because she never demanded anything but instead always asked. It was one of the many reasons why the ginger loved Jackie so much. She had actually slipped up a couple of times and called her mum, not that the blonde woman minded much.

The two were currently sitting on the sofa in the living room and Artimes had a growing headache. She had spent the last hour trying to dumb down spatial/temporal mechanics, but if the expression of complete confusion on the elder Tyler's face was anything to go by then she was failing miserably.

"Okay, explain it to me again." Jackie instructed.

Artimes sighed in exasperation. How she was going to explain the concept of parallel and alternate realities to the technologically challenged blonde woman? It was a highly daunting endeavor to say the least. She glanced at the glass of water on the table and an idea struck her.

"Alright, think of it like this. You throw a stone into a perfectly calm pond. Where the stone landed, that point of impact, is the world we are in right now, your world. The ripples caused by the stone hitting the water are worlds existing alongside this world. The further the ripples go, the more that world is different from your own. This is the basic concept of parallel worlds. I come from an alternate world, meaning that it is hundreds, if not thousands of ripples away." Artimes explained feeling completely daft.

She didn't know if she could explain it any simpler than that and her head ached from the effort of making things so simple. She had high functioning autism and ADD…she did not do simple because her brain short circuited on the simple things. One of the reasons why she loved Doctor Who so much; she adored the Doctor's techno babble because it actually made sense to her.

"How did you get here?" The blonde asked apparently finally understanding.

"There these cracks, weak points where the walls have been breached. One of these cracks opened and I was sucked inside, kind of like a vacuum cleaner. It took me into a place called the Void, the space between the worlds. It is the place the Eternals referred to as 'The Howling', the Timelords called it 'The Void, and some people called it Hell because there was no light just darkness, no sound just silence, and even time didn't exist there. I was brought out of the Void by a future version of the Doctor. He pushed me out, he saved me, and it brought me here." The red head answered her eyes growing sad, remembering that he might still be in there.

He would be there until Amy remembered him and God knew how long that would be in correlation to Artimes's personal time stream. Of all the places the Doctor had to end up after being unwritten, it had to be the Void. She understood now why he had been so sad when they had met in the Void. He didn't know if his plan would work and that Amy might not remember him. All that sadness and desperation…Artimes was beginning to think that maybe, one day, there might be a place for her in his life, if only for a little while.

Jackie noticed how the ginger's eyes filled with sadness and worry and she knew that the red head was thinking about the Doctor.

"And in your world, there's a show on the telly called Doctor Who that tells ya all about the Doctor, and even me and Rose." Jackie stated pulling the young woman back into their conversation.

"Not everything, just certain points…like the ship crashing into Big Ben, Rose missing for a year, and how her job got blown up. Stuff like that." Artimes clarified honestly.

"But why are you here? I mean, there has to be a reason, yeah? Like, I dunno, maybe you have some kind of destiny you're suppose to fulfill." The elder Tyler suggested.

"I honestly don't know, Jackie. There are so many things I don't know. I mean, I found you quite by accident. I was just wandering, that's all. Walking around London and trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do. I know this is a lot take in and that it sounds completely insane…" The ginger started her voice inching closer and closer to hysteria as her emotions started getting the better of her.

"I believe you." Jackie interjected shocking the red head into silence, "It's too mad not to believe and after what I've seen with the Doctor, it's not really that much of reach, now is it? I do want to know one thing."

"Anything." Artimes replied.

"Rose took off in that box and I haven't seen her in ages. She was going to save the Doctor in the year 200,100. Is she alive? Is she alright?" The blonde asked her worry evident.

"I won't lie to you, Jackie. What Rose did was beyond stupid, but it was the only way to save the Doctor and the whole human race in the future. Looking into the heart of the Tardis is something that should never be done. That kind of power cannot be fully controlled; however, the Doctor did save her. He took the power out of her and put it back where it belonged, inside the Tardis. She is safe, she is alive, but she won't remember what happened while the power was inside of her. It's been wiped clean from her mind. The Doctor and Rose will be returning here, but considering his driving, I'd wager around Christmas." The red head answered not filtering the truth any at all.

The elder Tyler relaxed, believing the ginger's words which kind of surprised Artimes. Did Jackie really trust her to tell her the truth and that the blonde believed she had knowledge of the future? Jackie had told her about the times when Rose had been home and the crazy crap that had happened and from those stories, Artimes was fairly certain that she had foreknowledge but at the same time, she wished she didn't. So many people were going to die or be hurt or be lost and the Tyler's and Mickey were a part of that number. Why did she have to carry that burden…the burden of remembering the lost?

"Are you going to tell the Doctor?" The blonde asked.

"I can't. I possess knowledge of his future, his personal future and if he were to discover that and try to change something that is supposed to happen then it would kill us all. Time itself would collapse and everything will be destroyed. I can't take that risk, Jackie. There are simply too many lives at stake. He can never know I'm from an alternate reality or about the show. He'll eventually discover that I have traversed the Void, but he'll only assume that I fell through from a parallel world not an alternate one. Promise, you won't tell him, Jackie…please." The ginger answered her tone pleading.

"Why'd you tell me?" Jackie asked momentarily side stepping the ginger's plea.

"Because I don't want there to be secrets between us. You took me in when you didn't have to, a strange girl who appeared out of nowhere and had no place to go. You gave me home and treated me like family, when I had nothing left to hold on to. It felt wrong to keep you in the dark and that is the thing about me, Jackie. I always follow my instincts and I just knew that I needed to tell you." Artimes answered her eyes showing everything she was feeling.

The elder Tyler stared into her eyes for a few moments before smiling softly.

"I won't tell him, but if you go off with them then you better do everything you can to keep yourself and Rose safe. I don't want to lose either one of my daughters, have you got that?" The blonde stated giving her a stern look.

"Yes, Mum, I promise." Artimes vowed smiling in relief.

"Good, now will you help me with dinner?" The elder Tyler asked.

Artimes grinned at the blonde woman before nodding and following her into the kitchen. She was glad that there was at least one person who knew and accepted the truth about her. It made her feel a little less lonely.

* * *

The days flew by a lot faster than Artimes thought they would. Mickey had become a constant visitor to the Tyler residence and seemed to have taken on the role of the ginger's very protective brother. He and Jackie showered her with attention and most often, it made her uncomfortable…mostly because she wasn't used to it. It was now November, Thanksgiving to be precise and the three of them were celebrating in the Tyler flat.

Mickey was carving the Turkey because he was the only male in the house and he had gone on and on about how it was tradition for men to carve the turkey. Artimes had simply rolled her eyes and let him do it. Jackie was talking a mile a minute about some bloke from the meat market called Howard. Artimes remembered that it was because of Jackie's interactions with the man that would eventually lead to the Satsuma incident aboard the Sycorax ship, so she encouraged Jackie to pursue the odd fellow. Personally, he gave her the creeps and was always eying her up like candy. She wondered briefly if she was the reason why he had started delivering to the door.

She let her mind wander to Jack and his team. She had been in constant contact with all of them with the exception of Suzie. She never knew why she didn't have Suzie's number but just assumed that it had to do with something she probably said to Jack in the future. Her dear foxy captain had been badgering her about how she was doing. She kept telling him that she was fine and everything was going great at the Powell estate…and it was but in truth, she was getting restless. She also becoming more anxious and nervous. It was almost like the longer she spent away from the Doctor, the more out of place she felt.

She knew that in a month's time, she should meet the Tenth regeneration of the Doctor. She was worried that she would slip up about her origins and he would learn about her foreknowledge. She was already regretting her decision to not tell the Doctor, and she was beginning to doubt herself as well. She honestly didn't want to lie to him, but this was just too big, too fantastical, too insane, and far too risky to talk about. She would have to be in constant control, always observant, always guarded, and one hell of a good actress. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

The Doctor would never believe her, would he? No, not until at least his Eleventh regeneration. Once he discovers the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall, there was a possibility that he would believe her. God, she hated temporal mechanics! Still, she couldn't let her past sour her time with the Doctor, whether it be a little or a lot. When Rose and the Doctor arrived, she won't leave his side. She had always wanted someone to be there for the lonely time traveler and now she could…even it was only while he slept to recover from his rather volatile regeneration.

She really didn't hold out much hope to being invited along to travel time and space with him and Rose. For starters, she wasn't perceptive or brilliant like Rose or even half as good as his other companions, both pre and post. Moreover, Rose and the Doctor shared so much history already and she couldn't bring herself to get in the way of that. If they did invite her, she would make certain that they both talked about it and neither were being pressured into it by the other. Then and only then when she give them her answer.

The red head glanced at her companions, who were currently engaged in conversation with each other and not really paying her any mind. It was times like these that made her wonder if they would actually miss her if she was gone or would they simply forget about her and move on like so many others had done to her in the past. Given her history, she was more inclined to believe the latter.

After all, they didn't really know her. Sure, Jackie knew her secret, but she doubted that the older blonde actually understood the true depth of her pain and sadness. It seemed rather unlikely to the ginger haired woman. Her reality was gone, her world was gone, her family was gone, and now she had nothing…nothing but the Doctor. She had to hold on to that and remember the promise of his name: 'Never cruel nor cowardly. Never give up, never give in.' Artimes pushed down the feelings of isolation and loneliness that threatened to drown her, put on a smiling face, and happily interjected herself into her friends' conversation.

* * *

*Dreamscape*

Artimes was running, running so far yet she never went anywhere. She was surrounded by the never-ending darkness and she was completely alone. She stopped running and whipped around jerkily, her panic and fear rising. She was breathing heavily and crying. The silence was pushing in on her from all sides, clawing at her heart.

"I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am." She cried her hands lifting up to clutch her head.

She jerked around, trying to find a way out. The reality of the situation was crashing down on her. She was alone, no one was coming for her. No one cared that she was gone. She was alone; completely, utterly, and horrifically alone.

"Doctor! Doctor, where are you?! You're supposed to be here! Please…Doctor please. I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am." She sobbed the tears continuing to stream down her face.

*End Dreamscape*

Artimes awoke suddenly, her eyes flying open. Her gaze landed on the distraught elder Tyler. Jackie had apparently been trying to wake her by shaking her, if the hands she felt on her shoulders was anything to go by. The blonde forced the ginger into a sitting position and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"You're safe, sweetheart. The Doctor saved you, remember? You're not in the Void anymore. He saved you. You're safe, you're safe." The elder Tyler whispered into her hair as she gently rocked the ginger haired woman, rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Artimes felt numb, like her insides had been hollowed out. She felt the hot liquid of her tears flowing down her face and she realized that she was crying. The sensation broke her out of her daze and she began to sob, burying her face into Jackie's shoulder. The longer she waited for the Doctor to come, the more empty and hollow she felt. She didn't know why, but she needed the Doctor. He needed to be there and soon…otherwise she was going to losing her mind. She silently pleaded to the stars to let the days pass more quickly so she could she see the Doctor again.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 4: Ripples and Realities is complete! Quite a bit going on in this chapter and not all of it good. And seriously, she had tell someone about her being from an alternate universe and it couldn't be Mickey because he eventually travels with Doctor and would at some point blurt it out right in front of him. Now, I know that Artimes seems a bit off and it's not just because of her time in the Void. Things will become more apparent as move we move further into the story.

Leave tons and tons of reviews and the Doctor will be arriving in the next chapter so keep a lookout for Chapter 5: Merry Christmas! Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5: Merry Christmas

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Guardian Saga: Seeker! I know you guys have dying for the Doctor to show up. Well, guess what?! He does! This is it! It is time for _Christmas Invasion_ to begin! So exciting! This chapter and the pretty much the whole story is dedicated to the first fan girl I have ever had, Arya! It is her enthusiasm that keeps me going and makes me want to come up with newer, brighter, and better ideas, so much love to you, my precious Arya…Blimey, I just had a _Lord of the Rings_ moment. Spooky.

Brief Recap: Artimes revealed her secret to Jackie, spent the holidays thinking way too much, and has started having nightmares about her time in the Void.

Looking Forward: As time flows on, Artimes's nightmares become worse until one day…nothing. Jackie wonders why that is, but is soon distracted by the return of her traveling daughter and a newly regenerated Doctor. How will Rose handle the introduction of the red haired woman with eyes like the Doctor's? Will she be jealous? Will she trust the ginger?

Let's find out! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Five: Merry Christmas

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Artimes's nightmares had gotten worse and she was withdrawing further and further away from Jackie and Mickey. She barely slept, rarely ate, spoke even less, and hadn't cracked a smile in almost three weeks. The elder Tyler had begun to truly worry about the ginger haired woman she claimed as a daughter. The blonde was actually starting to lose sleep over it and Mickey was beside himself with worry, so much so that he could barely focus on his mechanic's job.

It was now December 23rd, the day before the Doctor was due to arrive and unknown to Jackie and Mickey, Artimes's nightmares had ceased. It was like her mind and body knew that the Timelord was coming and was preparing for his arrival. Much to Jackie's surprise and shock, the ginger walked out her room, Rose's old room, with a smile on her face and a grumbling stomach. The two decorated the flat for Christmas and wrapped the gifts for the big day. The blonde spent the whole day trying to figure out what had changed and it was making her brain hurt from the effort.

The two bid good night to each other and both slept peacefully that night. The pair awoke the next day and the elder Tyler immediately noticed the massive grin on the ginger's face. She hadn't seen Artimes that happy in weeks and it was certainly a relief to the older woman. Those sleepless nights had taken a toll on her and she was just glad that the red head seemed to be doing better.

"Well someone's happy today. No nightmare's then?" Jackie questioned sipping her tea.

She had been surprised that Artimes had made her tea. It was actually quite good. She would have to ask her what she had put in it to make it taste so good.

"Nope." Artimes answered exaggerating the 'p' so that it popped, "No nightmares whatsoever."

The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly. There was something suspicious about how happy the red head was.

"What is it that has you all happy and don't tell me it's just because you got a proper night's sleep. I ain't buying that for a second, young lady." The blonde pestered.

The ginger's grin became wider, if it were truly possible, and her eyes sparkled with happiness. Jackie was quite shocked by the amount of joy radiating off the ginger haired girl. Normally, her eyes were sad and lonely like _his_ eyes. It had been the reason why the elder Tyler had opened up her home to a complete stranger. She reminded the blonde so much of the Doctor that it was uncanny.

"It's time." The red head said mysteriously, her body seeming to shake with excitement and happiness.

The elder Tyler opened her mouth to ask for clarification when her eyes widened, her ears picking up the very familiar groaning and grinding sound of a certain blue box. Jackie set down her tea cup as she looked at the ginger haired woman, a smile blooming on her face.

"Rose." They said together before dashing out of the flat like they were on fire.

They ran down the stairs, barely pausing for breath, and down the street.

"Mickey!" Artimes called catching a glimpse of her dark skinned friend, who was still wearing his mechanic's uniform.

"Jackie, Artimes, it's the Tardis!" Mickey shouted.

The three ran towards one another, converging in the middle of the street.

"We know! We know, we heard it! She's alive, Mickey! I said so, didn't I?! She's alive!" Jackie exclaimed excitedly, throwing a brief look of gratitude towards the red head.

Said red head smirked and raised an eye brow as if to say 'You doubted me? Shame on you.'

"Shush! Shut up a minute!" Mickey ordered.

Artimes rolled her eyes at her adopted brother's command, looking directly where the Tardis would appear while the other two glanced around frantically.

"Well, where is it then?" Jackie demanded.

The ginger saw the air begin to ripple, indicating that the Tardis was about to exit the Time Vortex.

"Heads up!" She shouted pointing to a spot about twenty feet above their heads and slightly down the street.

The Tardis appeared out of thin air, spinning erratically. It crashed and banged against the buildings, bouncing a bit making the trio duck. It skidded along the asphalt, smashing into a post van and knocking over some dustbins before finally halting completely.

Artimes kept her eyes trained on the blue police box, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. This was it…she was about to come face to face with Doctor…THE Doctor! She swallowed the lump in her throat and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. The trio walked over to the blue box and the red head forced herself to calm down. The doors of the Tardis were thrown open and she couldn't contain the grin on her face as she saw the Tenth regeneration of the Doctor come barreling out of the Tardis still dressed in the Ninth regeneration's clothes, his mouth wide open.

"Here we are, then! London! Earth! The Solar System! We did it!" He exclaimed as he stumbled completely out of the Tardis, the doors closing behind him.

Jackie and Mickey both stared at the Timelord in confusion and Artimes was hard pressed not to laugh at the whole thing. The Doctor turned back to face the addled pair, momentarily not noticing the red head...not that she minded because she was still trying not to laugh.

"Jackie! Mickey! Blimey! No, no, no, no, hold on." He continued staggering back a few steps.

Artimes reached out and caught his hand. She pulled him forward slightly so he could regain his balance, letting go of his hand almost immediately and trying not to squeal like a fan girl. He smiled at her and she had to force down her blush.

"Artimes, friend, yes." She said recognizing and answering the questions that flitted across his amazing brown eyes.

He grinned at that, clearly impressed that she had comprehended his need for answers, before returning his attention to the still confused Mickey and Jackie. Artimes stuck close to the Timelord, knowing he was about to collapse at any given moment.

"Wait there, I've got something to say. There was something I had to tell you. Something important, what was it? No, hold, hold on…" He rambled as he put his hands on Jackie's and Mickey's shoulders, apparently thinking very hard.

Artimes giggled softly before standing on her tip toes and whispering two words in his ear.

"Oh!" He blurted out, shooting a huge grin at the red head, who blushed at the amount of attention she was getting from the hyperactive Timelord.

The sudden exclamation had made Jackie and Mickey jump in alarm, clearing not expecting the random outburst. The Doctor looked at both of them, panting and beaming like an idiot.

"Merry Christmas!" He exclaimed before collapsing.

Fortunately, Artimes had had the foresight to be behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, softening his fall. His head was resting against her chest and she quickly checked his pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt the familiar four consistent pulses against her fingers repeating over and over again. Rose finally ventured forth from the Tardis and immediately took note of the strange red haired girl holding the Doctor in a very intimate embrace and the fact that the Timelord was unconscious to boot.

"What happened? Is he alright?" She asked caught between jealousy and worry.

Who was this woman and why was she holding the Doctor like that?

"He's fine, he's just collapsed…probably from over exertion. I managed to cushion his fall so he wouldn't sustain a head injury. His heartbeat is fast, but strong and stable. He's also breathing normally, so I think he just requires rest." Artimes rattled off, clinically diagnosing the sleeping Timelord.

Last thing she needed was a jealous Rose with the attitude and stubbornness of her mother to make her life a living hell.

"Who are you then?" Rose asked slightly annoyed with the ginger.

Blimey, how was she going to get on the blonde's good side? Simple, tell the truth and pray for the best. Her life was so damn complicated at times.

"Artimes Blaine. I'm a friend of your mother's…" Artimes started.

"Daughter, remember?!" Jackie interjected making the red head sigh in exasperation.

"Unofficially adopted by your mother's insistence and a friend to Mickey…" The ginger continued.

"Oi! I told you that you're like a little sister to me!" Mickey interrupted making the ginger's eyebrow twitch in frustration.

Rose had gotten past her jealousy and annoyance and was trying very hard not to laugh at the situation, clearly amused by the red head's reactions to the constant interruptions.

"Will you both shut up and let me talk?" Artimes snapped making both Mickey and Jackie huff, "Right then, Artimes Blaine, unofficially adopted daughter of Jackie Tyler and technically big sister to this stupid lump. He keeps forgetting I'm older than he is and yes, I know about your travels through time and space with the Doctor. These two wouldn't shut up about it."

She nodded towards Mickey when she mentioned him and met Rose's gaze. The younger Tyler simply stared into those royal blue eyes and felt her heart throb painfully in her chest. There was so much sadness and loneliness there in those royal blue orbs, but so much kindness and compassion too. Her eyes reminded her of the Doctor's and she had to resist the urge to hug the young woman. She visibly relaxed, her heart having already decided to trust the mysterious ginger woman. Mickey decided to shatter the moment by pointing out something that was supposedly obvious.

"But who is this guy? Where's the Doctor?" Mickey questioned.

Artimes frowned like she didn't know, but in actuality, she did.

"Hold on. He's the Doctor, isn't he? Leather jacket and jumper just like you told me, Micks." The red head countered gesturing to the sleeping man in her arms.

Rose nodded at the ginger.

"Yes, that's him…right in front of you. That's the Doctor." The blonde answered.

"What'd you mean, 'That's the Doctor'? Doctor Who?" Jackie asked clearly confused by the whole situation.

"Dangerous question." Artimes commented earning a smile from the younger Tyler.

"What's wrong with dangerous?" Rose asked an adventurous gleam in her eyes.

A grin spread across the ginger's face, a gesture that was soon returned by the blonde girl. In that moment, an unlikely bond of trust and friendship formed between them and Artimes knew that things would be okay between her and Rose.

"Good. Now come on, we need to get him inside." Th red head replied.

The small group rallied around the sleeping Timelord and carried him into the Tyler residence. Through a lot of effort, a few blushes, and some conspicuous coughing, they got the Timelord into the flat, dressed in a pair of men's pajamas which Artimes knew belonged to Howard, and tucked into bed. Rose sat on the Doctor's left side while the red head sat on his right. Jackie entered the room carrying a stethoscope.

"Here we go. Tina the Cleaner's got this lodger, medical student and she was fast asleep so I just took it." The elder Tyler explained as she handed the borrowed or rather stolen stethoscope to her daughter and sat down next to Artimes, "Though, I still say we should take him to a hospital."

"No way. He's an alien, Mum. They'd lock him up faster than we could blink and they'd dissect him like some sort of science experiment." The red head stated adamantly refusing that line of suggestion.

She would do anything to keep the Doctor safe and happy, even if it meant she got hurt in the process. She had to protect him at all costs. Rose nodded in agreement to the red head's statement.

"One bottle of his blood could change the future of the human race. Now shush." Rose added on before silencing her mother, who had opened her mouth to retort.

The younger Tyler put the stethoscope in her ears and placed it on one side of the Doctor's chest. Artimes knew the blonde would check both of the Doctor's hearts, but the red head knew she needed to keep her knowledge a secret which meant she had to play dumb, well at least partially. She could get away with a logical argument or two. Rose then placed it on the other side of his chest and let out a small sigh of relief.

"I'm guessing he has two hearts going by your actions." Artimes surmised going the logical way to avoid suspicion.

"Yes and both are working." The blonde answered smiling slightly at the red head.

"Guess that would explain why I thought he had a rapid heartbeat, but in actuality, it was just two hearts working simultaneously." The ginger concluded earning an impressed look from the younger Tyler.

"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie asked as Rose stood up.

The ginger woman couldn't help but snort in amusement, her mind falling rather quickly into the gutter before dragging herself and her inner fan girl back out. Bad girl, very bad, don't think such bad thoughts.

"Leave him alone" The younger blonde ordered giving her mother a pointed look.

Jackie surrendered and left the room.

"Artimes…" Rose started.

The red head glanced up from the Doctor to give the blonde girl her full attention.

"Do you think that maybe you could…well it's just you seem to have some medical knowledge and I honestly don't know wh…" Rose stumbled looking for the right words to convey her request.

"I can look after him if you like?" Artimes suggested slightly surprised that the blonde trusted her with the Doctor's care.

"Thank you." Rose stated relief evident in her eyes and voice.

"I can see how much he means to you and I promise not to leave him, so go on. You're stressed, exhausted, and anxious and all this worrying isn't good for you. Go sort yourself out and take a breather. I'm certain Mum is already making tea as we speak." The ginger ordered smiling softly at her new friend.

The younger Tyler smiled at the blue eyed woman before nodding and leaving the room. Artimes moved to the other side of the bed and sat down. She brushed his hair out of his face, her hand coming to rest on his left cheek. She smiled slightly when he leaned into her touch.

"I'm pretty certain that you can hear me, Spaceman, and I want you to know that I meant what I said. I'll stay by your side and I will always be there, always. Little piece of advice though, recover quickly because Rose is really freaked out by this whole face changing thing, they all are. I figured it's just some weird alien technique that you use to heal yourself. God, that sounds daft, but between you and me, I think you having two hearts is just so cool." She spoke quietly, her thumb stroking his face gently.

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. She pulled back just as a small cloud of golden energy was expelled from his mouth. She gasped, having forgotten that was going to happen, and she accidentally breathed it in. Her lungs burned for a few moments before it faded into a warm tingling sensation that seemed to flow throughout her entire body. It seemed to settle into every fiber of her being simultaneously, easing the tension in her body that had accumulated over the last three months. She sighed in relief, feeling better than she had in ages, and smiled at the sleeping Timelord.

"You just can't stop helping, can you?" She asked a small chuckle escaping her throat.

His response to this was to move closer to the hand cupping his cheek. She shook her head while giggling softly, but continued her ministrations. This was going to be a strange few days, but she was glad that she was with the Doctor.

* * *

Lady A: Tada! Chapter 5: Merry Christmas is complete! It was a bit tense there for a bit, but don't worry, things will get crazy soon enough. Leave tons and tons of reviews and keep a lookout for Chapter 6: Psychic Link! Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6: Psychic Link

Lady A: Yo! Welcome back to Guardian Saga: Seeker! I know, I said I was going to do through chapters this week and this is the fourth one, but it was just so good that I couldn't resist typing it up. This chapter is dedicated to Arya, Aka, and you too, Goddess! Goddess left such interesting reviews that I just had to mention it. Anyways, I'll just quit talking head straight in.

Brief Recap: The Doctor has arrived! (Readers: Yes, we know this already. We've been expecting him for ages.) *frowns but continues on* Rose had her first encounter with the mysterious red head named Artimes. (Readers: We know that too. It was to be expected.) *glares before continuing* The Doctor has collapsed in Artimes's arms. (Readers: Dramatic much.) *huffs in annoyance* Artimes and Rose form an impossible friendship. (Readers: Not impossible, just a bit unlikely.) *face palms* (Lady A: I give up. Readers: About time.)

Looking Forward: Rose and Mickey are out and about and things get crazy. (Readers: No, really?! *note heavy sarcasm*) *growls* Artimes doesn't understand why the Doctor is reacting to her the way he is. (Readers: Wait, what? *honestly intrigued*) *smirks* Of course, no day is complete without getting attacked by a Christmas tree. (Readers: *raises eyebrows* How many times have you been attacked by a Christmas tree?) *rolls her eyes* What's this about a psychic connection? (Readers: Oh, so that's where the chapter title came from.) *smacks her forehead* And the Doctor collapses. (Readers: Duh!) *groans before just walking away*

On with the show! (Readers: This is a story as in words. Not a television program as in images. Lady A: Just shut up and read the damn chapter! Readers: Someone's in a bad mood. Lady A: *glares venom soaked daggers at her readers* Readers: Really? We're not even in the same room as you so that makes it kind of pointless. Lady A: *groans* Leave me alone.)

* * *

Chapter Six: Psychic Link

* * *

Mickey and Rose walked down a semi crowded street, discussing everything from Christmas to the Doctor to the mystery of the ginger haired woman named Artimes.

"Who is she then? How did you and mum meet her?" Rose asked honestly curious about the woman who had gained her trust so easily.

Mickey sighed heavily.

"Your mum was coming home one day about three months back and she had dropped her shopping, stuff all over the ground. Artimes appeared out of nowhere and helped catch everything and carry it back to the flat. They have been together ever since. I actually asked Jackie why she would let a complete stranger live with her and you know what she said?" He started.

"What? What did she say?" Rose demanded.

"She said that Artimes reminded her of the Doctor. Said she was sad, lonely, and lost…that she had the same look in her eyes like the Doctor does. Your mum wouldn't let her leave and shot down every protest that Artimes brought up…even the one about her not knowing anything about her. Jackie insisted that she stayed, wouldn't ever leave her on her own for long. I met her about a week later and I dunno. When I looked into her eyes, it was like something broke inside me and I just had to protect her. She just seemed so fragile and when Jackie told me about the nightmares she was having. I didn't sleep for weeks because I was worrying about her." Mickey answered his eyes growing distant while he remembered the one time he had spent the night and witnessed one of the red head's nightmares.

If he hadn't been broken before, he definitely shattered that night. It had been horrible listening to her cry out for help, believing that it would never come. He felt truly sorry for Jackie, who spent night after night trying to wake the red head and then holding her as she sobbed.

"Nightmares?" Rose prompted drawing him away from the memory of that terrible night.

"Yeah, she started having them about a month ago. She was trapped someplace dark and there was nothing, nothing but silence. She kept crying out in her sleep about not knowing where she was and begging for help. I was there one night and it…uh…it was bad. It hurt more than anything I ever felt before and I know it made your mum even more attached to her than ever before. I certainly became more attached." He explained trying to shove down the urge to run back to the flat and make sure his 'little' sister was alright.

He didn't like leaving her and that was why he came round so often. It was like she was a magnet and she drew everyone to her like a moth to a flame. Well more like they were being sucked in, trying desperately to fill the emptiness left behind by whatever happened to her.

"You know, it's strange. When I'm around her, I'm just so calm, like I can do anything. I trust her even though I don't know her and her eyes…Mum's right. They're exactly like his; so lost and alone yet so warm and kind. It made me want to reach out and hold her." Rose commented her eyes becoming distant as she remembered how strongly the ginger's eyes had drawn her and even now, there was a hollow aching in her heart.

Mickey noticed this and it was the exact same look he had when he had first met her, that hollow ache that even now was with him.

"Right! What're you gonna get your mum for Christmas?" He asked wanting to distract them both from the impulse they were feeling to bolt home.

Rose glanced behind them, not really paying that much attention to him. She had a bad feeling, one that made her want to rush home and check on Artimes and the Doctor.

"I'm round there all the time now, you know. Those two do my dinner on a Sunday…talk about you all afternoon, yap yap yap yap yap…the both of them, I swear." He continued, "I think Jackie's starting to rub off on her…"

Rose looked back at the brass band comprised of masked Santas, who were playing 'Good Tidings of Comfort and Joy'. She continued to stare at them, her senses telling her that something was seriously wrong. Suddenly, their trumpets were revealed to be flame throwers. Blue flames shot out at them, scaring everyone in the area and people started running about screaming. The Santas continued their assault as Rose and Mickey ducked behind a stall. Rose put two and two together.

"It's us! They're after us!" She exclaimed her thoughts immediately jumping to the Doctor and the red haired woman looking after him.

The Santas blasted the stall that they were hiding behind and Rose screamed. The pair ran, the blasting of the Santas continuing to pursue them. One of the blasts caught an enormous Christmas tree and it fell onto one of the Santas, crushing it. Rose and Mickey ran down the street.

"What's going on? What've we done? Why are they after us?" He asked frantically.

Rose caught sight of a taxi and hailed it down. The two climbed in and she shot off the address of the Powell estate.

"They're after the Doctor." She informed her mind working in overdrive.

"I can't even go shopping with you. We get attacked by a brass band." Mickey commented sourly as Rose pulled out her phone, "Who're you phoning?"

"My mum." She answered placing the phone to her ear.

* * *

Artimes was sitting on the bed, the Doctor's head once again against her chest. She had changed positions because he had been struggling a bit. His ear was right above her heart. The sound of her heart beat seemed to calm him, at least that's what she assumed it to be, and it let him sleep more soundly. The ginger's head snapped up a she heard part of Jackie's conversation over the telephone, her stomach twisting into a knot. Her instincts were telling her that there was danger and she was beginning to tense up.

"She turns up…no warning. I've got nothing in. I said, Rose…if you want a Christmas dinner of meat paste, then so be it." The elder Tyler's voice echoed down the hall.

Artimes rolled her eyes, knowing that Jackie had said no such thing. She then remembered that it was during this particular phone conversation that Rose would trying to contact her mother about how she and Mickey had been attacked by a brass band wielding flame throwers. She guessed that explained why her instincts were so active.

"I have a strange feeling that things are about to get interesting, Spaceman." She commented quietly, her right hand brushing through his hair and her inner fan girl was simply in heaven.

His response to her statement was to snuggle closer to her and she resisted the urge to face palm. What was with him and all this touchy feely nonsense? She didn't remember him being this attached to anyone before…not even River. Personally though, she didn't really mind. She liked being close to him because she didn't feel empty when he was this close. It felt right.

* * *

"Mum, get off the phone!" Rose snapped in exasperation.

Why was her mother always on the damn phone! This was a bloody freaking emergency and she was busy yapping on the phone as usual! The pair heard police sirens in the background.

"Who were those Santa things?" Mickey asked she lowered her mobile and pocketed it.

"I dunno, but think about it. They were after us. What's important about us? Well, nothing. Except the one thing we've got tucked up in bed…the Doctor." The blonde answered.

* * *

Artimes was becoming more tense by the minute and the sleeping Timelord was obviously sensing it. His right hand was clutching the front of her shirt like she was about to disappear and it really wasn't helping her to calm down. Jackie wandered in with a cup of tea in her hand and smiled at the red head. Said red head blushed when the elder Tyler took notice of the position the Doctor's head was in and how he was clinging to her.

"Oh no. Don't come round, darling. No, flat's all topsy turvy." She spoke into the phone, setting the cup on the bedside table, "Yeah, she just barges in and litters the place. Yeah, no…I'll come round and see you on boxing day."

Jackie winked at the still highly embarrassed red head and left the room. The Doctor's regeneration energy flowed out of his mouth again and Artimes breathed it in happily, allowing the gentle warmth to relax her. She kissed the top of his head, silently thanking him before attempting to lay him back down on the bed. He groaned pitifully, his hand clutching her shirt even tighter, so she returned him to his previous position above her heart. He sighed in contentment and she rolled her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you, eh?" She asked brushing through his hair again.

How was she going to explain this to Rose? She honestly didn't understand why he found her presence to be so comforting. Every time she tried to move away from him, he would hold on to her tightly and moan in his sleep. The whole thing confused her, but could she honestly say that she wasn't happy by his actions? The answer to that would be a resounding no. Her inner fan girl was going to overdose at any given moment if this kept up. A girl could honestly get used to this level of attention and she was a lot more comfortable with him than she had been with Jackie and Mickey.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rose and Mickey burst into the flat and the ginger woman could barely keep up with the conversation. It was going a lot faster than it had in the show and she wagered because it was their fear that ramped up their talking speed. Jackie screamed and Artimes knew that the Christmas tree had begun its assault.

"Rose, Mickey, Jackie! What's going on?!" Artimes yelled still unable to detach herself from the sleeping Timelord.

He was rather insistent that she didn't move. His right hand would tighten every time on her shirt and she really didn't feel like ripping her clothes just to get away from him. The trio ran into the room and the elder Tyler slammed the door. Mickey and Jackie slid a wardrobe in front of the door while Rose ran over to the Doctor and Artimes.

"Doctor, wake up!" She cried looking at the ginger for guidance when he didn't stir.

The tree started spinning into the room. Mickey and Jackie leaned against the wardrobe, trying to hold it in place.

"Rose, the sonic thingy! That tube thing of his!" Artimes shouted over the noise, concealing her knowledge of the sonic screwdriver.

Rose rushed over to the Doctor's leather jacket without hesitation and withdrew the sonic screwdriver from the inner pocket. The wardrobe started to shake as the Christmas tried to get through. The younger blonde placed the screwdriver into the Doctor's left hand since his right was still grasping Artimes's shirt, but he remained lifeless. The Christmas tree finally smashed through the wardrobe and Mickey and Jackie were thrown backwards. The elder Tyler cowered against the wall, panic and fear etched onto her face.

"I'm gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie said her voice rising squeakily.

Rose and Artimes locked gazes. The blonde clearly looked lost and had no idea what to do, so the ginger took matters into her own hands. The red head leaned down to whisper in the Doctor's ear.

"Help me please." She spoke quietly, praying that it would work.

She straightened up right before the Doctor's brown eyes snapped open and he sat up. He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the tree, switching it on. The tree exploded and he deactivated the sonic as he lowered his arm.

"Remote control, but who's controlling it?" He asked getting out of bed and dragging a bewildered Artimes with him.

She helped him into the dressing gown and once it was secure, his right hand took hold of her left. She glanced back at Rose in confusion, honestly not understanding the Doctor's actions towards herself. The blonde shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it, and gave her a look that said 'Just go with it.' The group came to a halt and took notice of the three remaining Santas from before, standing just outside the Powell estate.

"That's them. What are they?" Mickey asked.

Artimes shivered from the cold, but the Doctor must have misread it as fear because he squeezed her hand in a comforting manner…not like she was complaining. She felt perfectly safe with him and was more annoyed than afraid.

"Shush." Rose hissed out, silencing Mickey for a moment.

They watched the Doctor raise his sonic screwdriver and point it at the Santas in a threatening way. They backed away, standing closer to each other before teleporting away.

"They've just gone! What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offense but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdriver's gonna scare them off." Mickey commented.

"Oi, don't diss the sonic." Artimes countered smiling slightly when she noticed the Doctor's lips twitch ever so slightly upwards like he was fighting a smile.

"Pilot fish." He stated going back to his serious face.

Artimes stopped herself from pouting and mentally sighed. This was going to be a very difficult Christmas for all of them.

"What?" Rose asked confused.

"They were just Pilot Fish, right?" The red head asked the Doctor.

He looked down at her, his eyes softening with appreciation. Her pulse accelerated under his gaze and she tried to keep herself from blushing. Her eyes widened as he coughed and threw himself backwards against the wall, releasing her hand so she wouldn't fall with him. Everyone gathered around him quickly, each exhibiting a different level of worry.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Rose asked panicking slightly.

"I think I woke him up too soon. Sorry." Artimes answered quickly, guilt flashing through her eyes.

"It's not your fault. You needed my help." He told her instantly, unsure of why he needed to comfort her, "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy."

Wisps of golden energy expelled from his mouth before dissipating.

"You see? The Pilot Fish could smell it. A million miles away, so they eliminate the defense…that's you lot and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of years…" He continued before suddenly lurching forward.

He groaned in pain and Artimes immediately wrapped her arms around him, trying to hold him steady.

"My head!" He said through gritted teeth.

Jackie knelt down and took hold of either side of the dressing gown as Artimes tried to soothe him, running her hand through his hair in calming manner. His eyes softened once more as he glanced at the extremely worried red head before turning his focus back to Jackie.

"I'm having a neuron implosion. I need…" He started.

"What do you need?" The elder Tyler asked frantically.

"I need…" He started again.

"Say it, tell me, tell me." Jackie interrupted.

"I need…" He tried again.

"Painkillers?" The elder blonde guessed.

"I need…" He started again.

"Do you need aspirin?" She guessed again.

Artimes unknowingly tensed causing the Timelord's eyes to flicker to her for a fraction of a second, wondering if she knew subconsciously that aspirin was not compatible with a Timelord's physiology. He dismissed it and tried to tell Jackie what he needed.

"I…" He tried again.

He didn't like Artimes being so tense. It made him unreasonably edgy and out of balance.

"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I dunno…Pepto-Bismol?" The blonde woman interrupted again.

There was a small, nearly inaudible snort of amusement from the red head, causing the Doctor to relax slightly.

"I need…" He started again but the blonde was beyond stubborn and was always a bit of a motor mouth.

"Liquid paraffin? Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?" Jackie guessed some more.

He was contemplating on whether or not to tell her to shut up and let him talk. He could see Artimes shaking slightly from her silent laughter in his peripheral vision. He didn't know why he was so happy that she was laughing, but it didn't really matter. There were so few things that made him truly happy and after he was recovered and the threat of the Pilot Fish was over, he was going to get know the oddly comforting red head that seemed to always be there when he needed her.

"I need…" He tried one last time.

"Is it food? Something simple? Uh, a bowl of soup? A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?" She interrupted for the umpteenth time, her voice rising hysterically.

"I need you to shut up." He stated his tone completely serious and slightly annoyed.

Artimes couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a short bit of laughter, earning a glare from the elder Tyler which she completely ignored and an amused and somewhat smug look from the Timelord. He was rather pleased that he had made her laugh and it seemed to help his strength return. He wondered why that was.

"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?" Jackie commented deflating as Artimes snickered.

She immediately tensed back up when the Doctor lurched forward out of her arms and leaned against the opposite wall. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him again, keeping him upright so he could talk easier. He shot her a look of gratitude and she gave him a small smile in return. He could fell her fear and worry as if it were his own and it was wreaking havoc with his hearts, causing them to beat out of sync. He needed her to calm down and stay focused. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had realized that he had inadvertently formed a low level psychic connection with her, thus the reason why he was physically reacting to her emotions, but his conscious mind hadn't quite caught up yet.

"We haven't got much time. If there's Pilot Fish then…" He started as his hand absentmindedly reached into his dressing gown and withdrew an apple, "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"

His question coupled with his bewildered expression made Artimes giggle, some of her tension melting away and allowing his hearts to return to a normal synchronized rhythm.

"Oh, that's Howard's, sorry." Jackie answered.

"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?" He questioned.

He could feel the ginger beginning to calm down and he relaxed also. To form such a connection after freshly regenerating was not uncommon. It usually happened when that person was a friend, loved one, or shared a similar emotional background to the Timelord in question and was someone that said Timelord could trust implicitly.

"He gets hungry." Jackie answered.

He looked down at the apple in confusion, an odd thought occurring to him.

"What, he gets hungry in his sleep?" He asked looking back up at the elder Tyler.

"Sometimes." She answered lamely.

He dropped the apple as he shouted in pain and sank to the floor. He grimaced as he felt the red head's panic. He was mentally begging her to calm down, but the link was still too new for actual telepathic communication.

"Brain…collapsing…" He spoke in between gasps.

He grabbed one of Artimes's arms and one of Rose's, holding on tightly to both of them. Both girls locked gazes with one another for a moment, both very frightened. The Doctor could feel one of his hearts slowing down to almost a stand still. He needed Artimes to calm down or his hearts would literally stop. He needed her strength right now and his subconscious sent a mental spike through their link, momentarily disrupting her panic and startling her.

"The Pilot Fish." He started gaining their attention once more, "The Pilot Fish mean…that something…something…" He trailed off his eyes locking with Artimes's while trying to take deep breaths.

They stared at each other a moment and her eyes widened a fraction. An unusual calm fell over the red head, making relief surge through his system. His eye lids were becoming heavy as sleep beckoned him, the darkness beginning to creep into his vision.

"That something is coming." She finished softly.

He didn't even have strength to nod, but his eyes conveyed that she was right. His eyes closed and he collapsed onto Rose's and Artimes's laps, completely out cold.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 6: Psychic Link is over and done! This was the longest chapter to date so Woohoo! Quite a bit happened in this chapter and things are only just beginning. Many things will come to light in the next chapter and there will be Artimes's introduction to the Tardis as well. Wonder how that's going to turn out. Should be exciting, right?! Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 7: Big Fish! Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7: Big Fish

Lady A: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay but I have been working on not one, not two, not three, but FOUR other stories besides this one. Blimey, so many ideas, so little time. Just want to thank everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed! Much love to you all! Did I forget to mention that this story is also a Thartz series? For those who don't know what that is, it is Theta + Artz = Thartz. Also, credit for the pairing name goes to my beloved and brilliant Arya! Okay, enough babbling from me.

Brief Recap: Mickey and Rose have a long in depth discussion about the mysterious Artimes and how her eyes are like the Doctor's. They are attacked by a brass band and rushing back home. Artimes, meanwhile, is wondering why the Doctor is being all touchy feely and derives comfort from her presence. Later on, the group of unlikely defenders are attacked by a killer Christmas tree. Artimes wakes up the Doctor and he discovers that he has formed a low level psychic connection with the red head. He then collapses after warning them about the Pilot Fish. (Okay, maybe not so brief after all. *smiles sheepishly*)

Looking Forward: The Doctor's condition has gotten worse, much worse than it had in the show. Rose informs Artimes of the outlandish theory she has about the ginger and the Timelord. Artimes does her best to remain calm, but then Rose starts crashing emotionally and the red head has to step in. The Sycorax ship arrives and the group move their little powwow to the Tardis. Artimes and the Tardis have their own conversation while Mickey and Rose do theirs. The red head holds nothing back from the Tardis and hopes the Old Girl understands the ginger's motives. (I really don't know the definition of brief or babbling, do I?)

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Big Fish

* * *

Artimes removed the stethoscope from her ears after checking the Timelord's hearts. His right heart was beating fine, albeit a little slow, but his left one had stopped completely. Instead of sweating like his counterpart had in the show, the Doctor's skin was like ice and his breathing was shallow and quick. She could only assume that he was in far worse shape than his DW counterpart and she couldn't understand why that was. Nothing had changed or deviated that much, so why was he so much worse?

After a few words with Rose, they both decided that it was best that Artimes use her body warmth to help raise the Doctor's core temperature. With the assistance of the blonde, the ginger sat behind the sleeping Timelord, one leg on either side of his body and his back to her front. She wrapped her arms around him, trying warm him up as much as possible. She looked worriedly at Rose who seemed to be deep in thought. What could the younger Tyler be thinking about so much?

"Penny for your thoughts." Artimes stated trying to lighten the mood.

The blonde glanced up at her, the gears clearly turning in her mind. She was remarkably similar to her mother in that regard. You could honestly tell they were related. You could actually see their minds working in their eyes. Kind of spooky really.

"I think…" She started before biting her lip while she frowned.

"What is it? What?" The red head asked her tone very similar to Nine's, making the blonde relax from hearing something familiar.

"This is going to sound mad, but I think you and the Doctor have made, I dunno, some sort of psychic link. When you were afraid or panicked, he seemed to get worse and then when you were laughing or calm, he got better. He kept glancing at you and holding your hand…like there was something binding you two together on some level. God…sorry, that sounds completely daft. Just ignore me." Rose rambled trying to sort out her thoughts.

Artimes stared at the younger blonde, her mind going over Rose's idea with a fine tooth comb. She frowned when she realized that the younger Tyler was right. There had been a direct correlation between her mental state and his physical state. Why didn't she see that before?! She inwardly face palmed at her own idiocy. She had been so worried about the Doctor that her logical mind hadn't been very perceptive of the situation. Damn, she should have paid closer attention. Now he was suffering because of her lack of emotional control.

Timelords were known to have highly developed psychic abilities, given their mental links with Tardises and the almost hive like mentality which was how the Doctor knew that there weren't any more Timelords, but why would he form a bond with her? She thought over the events of the day, trying to find the connection when it suddenly hit her. He hadn't meant to form a connection with her in the first place and he must have realized that at some point before he collapsed. His brain was still cooking with both his regeneration energy and the lingering effects of the Time Vortex. He must have subconsciously formed a link with her because she was the only one with a calm mental state when he arrived.

She looked up at Rose, slightly envious of her blonde haired friend. She was always so perceptive and brilliant. She just noticed things that no one else would and she could see why the Timelord loved her so much. The younger Tyler had some damn good instincts and Timelords seemed to lack in that department quite often or simply ignore them.

"It's not daft at all, Rose. In fact, it's brilliant and makes a lot of sense. I have been trying to figure out why my presence seemed to calm him so much and this psychic link would explain all of his odd behavior. You have an uncanny perception and some fantastic instincts. Don't ever doubt yourself, okay…because you're brilliant." The red head replied honestly and with sincerity.

Rose smiled at her, her cheeks flushing slightly from the praise. Mickey passed the bedroom, his laptop in hand. The blonde glanced at him and he nodded before going on his way.

"Go on. I'll stay here and think happy thoughts while you go and defend the Earth." Artimes said cheekily, smiling and winking at the younger Tyler.

Rose blushed and hastily left the room. The red head chuckled at her friend's behavior. She looked down at the sleeping Timelord, an apologetic look on her face, and rested her head one of his shoulders.

"I'm sorry for freaking out earlier. I should have realized that you were reacting to my emotions and I'm really very sorry. I've never been put into a situation like that before and I was scared. Don't worry, I know what to do to help you now. Think happy thoughts and leave the worrying to Jackie. I have faith in you, Spaceman, and I'll never give up on you." She spoke quietly into his ear.

The ginger started softly singing _The Song for Ten_ from the wardrobe scene and smiled as she remembered how happy he had been in the Tardis wardrobe. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt his left heart begin to beat again, albeit slowly. She grinned in triumph and sang and hum more songs from the series and remembered all the good memories from the show.

Artimes stayed awake almost all night, singing and humming. She drifted off to sleep some time during the early morning hours, simply unable to hold her eyes open any longer. Unbeknownst to her, Jackie came in at some point and fell asleep next to the pair.

* * *

Jackie had awoke a few hours later and was currently with Rose and Mickey, watching the television as Harriet Jones, Prime Minister, pleaded for the Doctor to save them and for anyone with information about the Doctor to contact the government immediately. Artimes awoke at the sounds of heart wrenching sobs and she raised her head to find the source. She saw Rose clinging to her mother and crying like no tomorrow.

"He's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's left me, Mum. He's left me, Mum." The younger Tyler cried.

"Rose." The ginger called quietly.

The blonde girl looked over at the red head, her face streaked with tears. It was clear that Rose was at her emotional limit and was seeking something to latch onto for strength and stability. Artimes decided to fill in the gap left behind by the sleeping Timelord to keep her friend focused on what really mattered, safe guarding the Doctor and avoiding the Sycorax.

"Do you trust me?" Artimes asked softly.

Rose's face morphed into one of shock and disbelief, almost like the idea of her not trusting the ginger was some kind of insult.

"Of course I do." She croaked clearly not happy with the red head's question.

"Then trust me now. I know you're scared and you're at a loss as to what to do, but the Doctor will wake up. It is up to us to buy him the time he needs to recover and when he does…when not if, he'll save us. Just you watch, Rose Tyler. He'll wake up and save the whole planet in his pajamas, just to prove a point. Can you be strong for me and take charge?" The ginger asked her tone gentle and kind.

Rose stared at the red head, her eyes once again showing the gears turning in her head. The conflict in her eyes vanished as the younger Tyler straightened up, a determined look on her face.

"Defenders of the Earth, right?" She asked her voice quivering slightly but gaining strength as her resolve solidified.

Artimes smiled at her blonde haired friend, pride shining in her eyes. She couldn't help but notice how her friend seemed more like the woman she was later in the series, the confidant blonde that used a dimensional cannon to stride from parallel to parallel just to come back to the Doctor.

"That is absolutely right, my beautiful and brilliant Rose." She answered.

The younger Tyler smiled widely in return. Suddenly, the windows were smashed open, glass shards flying everywhere. Artimes immediately shielded the sleeping Timelord and the ground shook violently. Mickey, Jackie, and Rose all ventured outside and watched a huge spaceship float into view, obscuring the sun. They ran back inside and into the room where Artimes and the Doctor were.

"Alright, I'm taking charge of the situation. Artimes, Mickey, we're gonna carry him." Rose ordered throwing the blankets off the sleeping Timelord and the red head, "Mum, get your stuff and get some food. We're going."

Artimes removed herself from behind the Doctor, nearly stumbling out of the bed. Her legs were stiff from being in the same position for so long. She then focused on helping Rose move the Doctor.

"Well, where to?" Mickey asked confused.

"The Tardis. It's the only safe place on Earth." The younger blonde answered.

"What're we gonna do in there?!" Jackie demanded.

Rose barely spared her mother a glance.

"Just like Artimes said, we're going to buy the Doctor time for him to recover." The younger Tyler replied.

"Is that it?!" Jackie asked clearly annoyed.

"Look at the sky, Jackie. It's an alien invasion. As of right now, we don't have enough information on these things to adequately combat them, but the Doctor does. He possesses a knowledge well beyond planet Earth and is known throughout the universe as the Oncoming Storm, someone not to be trifled with. Our one and only priority is the safety of the Doctor, so if that means we have to run and hide then so be it. Now stop arguing with us and do as she says!" Artimes snapped, her eyes blazing and her tone being remarkably similar to Nine's when barking out orders.

Every instinct the ginger had was demanding her to protect the Doctor and that was exactly what she was doing. Jackie was completely taken aback by the red head's commanding tone and buckled under the ginger's fierce gaze. She ran from the room like she was on fire and started doing what Rose had asked. The younger Tyler was caught between awe and joy, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Damn, you realize you sounded _exactly_ like him just then. That was absolutely fantastic. Can I keep you?" Rose stated smiling widely, her eyes still full of awe.

Artimes grinned at the blonde girl.

"If you like." The red head answered cheekily, a grin on her face.

* * *

Between Artimes, Rose, and Mickey, they managed to get the Doctor out of the Tyler residence. It took a bit of doing to finally get him in the Tardis and the moment the ginger stepped into the space/time ship, she could feel the Tardis trying to connect to her. She smiled slightly as she felt the Old Girl brush lovingly inside her mind, welcoming her aboard.

'Hey there, Sexy. Have I mentioned you're absolutely beautiful? I can see why he likes you.' The red head stated mentally.

The Tardis practically purred in her mind, causing her smile to become that much bigger. It would seem that the Old Girl liked her.

"No chance you could fly this thing?" Mickey asked as he and Rose continued to carry the Doctor inside.

Artimes had to bite her tongue to stop herself from automatically correcting him. She felt Sexy's amusement and she sighed internally.

'Can you really blame me for getting defensive? You're not a thing. You're the most amazing and magnificent space/time ship that ever or will ever exist in the whole of time and space. People should respect you and not call you a thing. It's insulting.' She stated mentally.

The Tardis brushed against her mind affectionately, very happy that someone understood and respected her feelings.

"Not anymore, no." Rose answered.

"Well, you did it before…" Mickey trailed off.

Artimes had to stop herself from snorting at that comment.

'No, Sexy flew herself. She only needed someone to override the Doctor's command protocols for Emergency Program One.' The red head automatically corrected in her mind.

Said ship allowed her amusement to wash over the ginger again, clearly finding the ginger's inner dialogue to be most comical.

'Glad I amuse you.' Artimes thought happy that she was getting along so well with the Old Girl.

The sense of amusement intensified and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I know, but it's sort of been…wiped out of my head, like it's forbidden." Rose commented.

'No shit, Sherlock. You ripped open the soul of a living, sentient being and you didn't think that there wouldn't be any sort of consequences for that kind of action? How would you feel if someone ripped you open and stared into your very soul, demanding you to use yourself like a common appliance?' Artimes snapped internally.

The Tardis hummed in agreement, still very upset at the blonde girl for hurting her. The verbally conversing pair placed the Doctor on the floor and Artimes immediately sat down, lifting the Timelord's head and placing it on her lap. She tuned out most of Rose's and Mickey's conversation and focused solely on the Tardis, her fingers brushing through the Doctor's really great hair absentmindedly.

She allowed the Tardis to enter her mind completely, holding nothing back from the sentient time ship. She may not be able to the Doctor the truth about who she was and where she was from, but she would be damned if she didn't at least confide in the Tardis. Sexy traversed her memories, soaking up the ginger's knowledge and past. After a few moments, the Old Girl sent wave of understanding and trust through the red head's mind and Artimes visibly relaxed. The Tardis had accepted her, her reasons, and her motives which was really only one; to make the Doctor safe and happy.

It was the one thing the two of them would always agree on, the happiness and protection of their thief. She had been so deeply embroiled in her telepathic interactions with the Tardis that she didn't snap back to reality until she heard Rose shouting at Mickey.

"The door! Close the door!" The blonde commanded.

The ginger heard the door being slammed shut very quickly and the Tardis locking them. She frowned when she noticed that Mickey had not knocked over the thermos of tea and she wondered why that was different. Was her presence effecting the timeline that much or maybe this reality didn't adhere completely to what happened in the show? She mentally asked the Tardis if it was alright to follow how things went in the show and Sexy gave her consent.

Artimes gently took the Doctor's head from her lap and set him against the grating softly. She bent over him slightly and grabbed the thermos. She popped it open and set it on its side, allowing its contents to drip onto the wires and circuits under the grating. Now all she could do was wait for the sleeping Timelord to stir from his beauty sleep and save the Earth.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 7: Big Fish of the Guardian Saga: Seeker is complete! You know this story would be way too bumpy if the Tardis didn't like our favorite red head, and honestly, she has enough problems as is without having to contend with both the Doctor and the Tardis at the same time, so yeah, Sexy likes her. Get over it. Things get interesting in the next chapter because that's when the Doctor makes his debut aboard the Sycorax ship! Not to mention, something very peculiar will happen when he first wakes up which will make you go What? *grins evilly* You'll just have to find out in the next chapter, now won't you? Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 8: Big Red Button! Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8: Big Red Button

Lady A: Hiya everybody! Welcome back to Guardian Saga: Seeker! Sorry for the delay but I wanted to write up a few more chapters for this story along with a few for Phoenix Saga: Origin. Much thanks and love to all the people who faved, followed and reviewed both of my Saga stories!

Brief Recap: Artimes learned of the psychic link she shared with the Doctor and uses it to improve his condition. Rose reaches her emotional limit and the ginger steps in and gives her a pep talk. The Sycorax arrive and Rose, Mickey, and Artimes take the Doctor to the Tardis. Once there, the ginger connects to the sentient time ship and has one hell of a conversation. While she is distracted, Rose and Mickey are taken hostage by the Sycorax, leaving her and the sleeping Timelord alone inside the Tardis.

Looking Forward: The Doctor finally wakes up and well, he surprised Artimes rather suddenly. The two get into a very interesting conversation and both the Tardis and the Doctor want to keep the ginger. The Doctor makes his dramatic debut on the Sycorax ship and more conversations fly around. Seriously, there is a ridiculous amount of talking. Finally, the Doctor finds himself a great big threatening button. What will he do?

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Big Red Button

* * *

Artimes waited impatiently for the Doctor to wake up. It seemed to be taking longer than what the show had depicted and she was becoming more worried by the second. After what seemed like forever, she leaned over him to check the pulse point on his neck. She coughed and sputtered a bit when he suddenly released a lot of regeneration energy into the small amount of space between them. She tried to shake her head of the warm fog that was clouding her vision. Inhaling such a concentrated dose was probably bad for her.

She tried blinking but she could feel her head becoming heavier. Not good, this was so not good. Suddenly, the Doctor sat up abruptly, his forehead and hers colliding with an audible smack. She fell backwards onto her bottom, her mind exploding with information and knowledge. She tried to make sense of it but she honestly couldn't understand any of it. There was simply too much.

She groaned loudly in pain as she fell onto her back, her mind in overdrive. The warm fog was quickly being replaced by a sheering and piercing pain. Her head felt like it was being ripped apart. She felt cool hands press against certain points on either side of her head, massaging the pain away. She felt the Tardis push into her mind and wrap around the knowledge flying through her head, merging it with her subconscious. Between the Tardis and those cool hands, the pain finally disappeared.

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring into the warm, chocolate brown orbs of her favorite Doctor. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and smiled softly at him. He beamed in response, clearly happy that she was alright.

* * *

"Bout time, Spaceman." She joked.

He hoisted her to her feet and she swayed a bit. He caught her about the waist and held her until she had fully regained her balance.

"You okay?" He asked worriedly, his hands moving to her shoulders so that he could pull her back and look into her eyes.

She smiled at him before a worried look overtook her features.

"I'm perfectly peachy, but what about you? Are you okay? While of you were sleeping, one of your hearts stopped. Is everything back to normal or …" She started her worry sparking like mad.

The Doctor could feel his emotions rising along with hers. He needed to calm her down and fast.

"Easy, I'm fine. Really I am. You don't have to worry, honestly." He answered in a rush, his tone slightly panicked.

He saw her eyes widened and she immediately calmed herself. How did she do that? Sure, humans were emotional beings, but he had never met one that could control their emotions so easily and quickly.

"Oh sorry. I forgot about the psychic link." She apologized.

How did she know about the link? That was impossible. She wouldn't have been able to sense the link in the first place.

"You know about that?" He asked amazed and very surprised.

"Rose suggested the possibility, both her observations and mine proved it to be highly plausible, and…" She started but then paused as she looked up at the time rotor before looking back at him, "and the Tardis just confirmed it."

His arms dropped to his sides in shock. A human working out what the psychic link was, was not entirely unheard of…especially when she had Rose helping her, the ever perceptive Rose. What really surprised him was what he was feeling from the Tardis. For some reason, the Old Girl was rather protective of the ginger haired woman and even seemed to love her.

"Hold on, what do you mean the Tardis just confirmed it?" He asked trying to figure out how the red head knew that.

"I can feel her…" She started tapping the side of her head, "…in my head. No words or anything, but emotions, images, ideas, and all sorts of things. It's kind of awesome. Never communicated like this with anyone before. Am I not suppose to feel her?"

Her emotions shifted from confusion to awe and happiness to worry and fear. The Timelord was having trouble sorting it all out. He was so used to his mind being void of another's presence but now he had this human and her emotions, blind siding him every second. Blimey, he was just going to have deal with it until the bond became more solidified. Then he would be able to regulate how much of her emotions he would actually feel, but right now he was getting everything.

"It's not that. It's just extremely rare for anyone to actually communicate with her on that level and even more rare for the Tardis to connect so deeply to someone, especially a human. She must really like you." The Doctor answered sighing inwardly in relief as he felt her calm down.

Artimes grinned and crossed her arms.

"I think she wants to keep me if the feeling of possessiveness is anything to go by." The red head commented.

Incredible, this woman could actually comprehend the Tardis the same way he could, maybe even more so. It was obvious that the Tardis wanted the ginger to stay with them and the Doctor couldn't find any reason for her not to.

"I'm inclined to agree with her." He replied giving her a smile.

He felt quite a bit of pride when he saw her blush and their link revealed her attraction to him, but then her emotional state shifted to one of seriousness and determination, causing him to frown. He simply couldn't understand what was going on. Her emotional shifts were giving him whiplash.

* * *

"Ask Rose first, she's your current companion. Speaking of which, we've been transported to an alien ship hovering above London, identifying themselves as the Sycorax, and is most likely the origin of the Pilot Fish. Rose and Mickey have been taken hostage and it's time for you to save the planet, Spaceman." Artimes countered informing him of the current situation.

She watched as his frown morphed into a grin. There was her Doctor, the man who found saving the world to be exciting.

"Right then. Best not keep them waiting, eh?" He said happily, bounding towards the doors.

Artimes giggled as she shook her head and followed him, a huge grin on her face from his antics. She could faintly hear Rose's voice on the other side.

"If I can hear English... then it's being translated. Which means it's working. Which means..." Rose rambled.

The Doctor opened the doors with his usual dramatic flair and Artimes had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Did you miss me?" He asked grinning.

Rose smiled in delight, her entire face lighting up. The Sycorax Leader roared in fury and lashed his whip, not towards the Doctor, but towards Artimes. The red head managed to dodge it and skirted about the other people in the room until she got to Rose, who immediately wrapped her arms around the ginger's waist. The Doctor grabbed the whip on the second strike towards himself and yanked it away. He glanced towards the ginger, quickly assessing her body for any possible damage. Finding none, he returned his attention to the Sycorax Leader.

"You could have someone's eye out with that!" The Doctor snapped anger flashing across his eyes briefly.

The Sycorax Leader roared again and tried to attack the Timelord with his staff, but the Doctor simply snatched it away and snapped it over his knee. He chucked the broken pieces onto the floor.

"You just can't get the staff. Now, you, just wait. I'm busy." The Doctor ordered pointing at the alien warningly.

The Timelord ignored the now thoroughly stunned Sycorax and walked towards the others.

"Mickey! Hello! And Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North! Blimey, it's like 'This Is Your Life'." He started.

He turned and sauntered up to the girls, grinning like an idiot.

"Tea! That's all I needed! A good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses…" He rambled before turning serious, his tone lowering, "Now…first thing's first…be honest. How do I look?"

"Incredibly handsome." Artimes piped up instantly.

He flashed her a smile and she couldn't stop her cheeks from blushing.

"Um…different." Rose answered still getting use to his new look but not entirely against it.

"Good different or bad different?" He asked.

"Just different." She answered not wanting to hurt his feelings but also trying to sort out her own.

"Brilliant different though." Artimes replied earning yet another smile from the Timelord.

"Am I…ginger?" He asked deadly serious.

"Sorry, sweetie. You're not that cool, but you do have some really gorgeous brown hair." Artimes answered nudging Rose who gave her a small smile.

"I can agree with that one." The blonde stated glancing up at the hair in question.

The Doctor turned away as he pouted like a child. The red head giggled quietly at how put out he was about not having red hair. It was so much funnier seeing this in person than simply watching on the television.

"Aww, I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger." He complained before pointing violently back at Rose, "And you, Rose Tyler, you nearly gave up on me. Would have to if Artz hadn't stepped in, which by the way, we're keeping her."

He gave the younger Tyler a pointed look meaning he was absolutely serious about the red head coming with them.

"You don't see me complaining. I wanted to keep her since I met her." Rose replied.

"Oi, rude! I am standing right here!" Artimes complained earning a hug from the amused blonde.

"That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude…rude and not ginger." The Doctor rambled softly.

Artimes buried her face into Rose's shoulder, trying to muffle of her laughter at his ridiculous behavior. The blonde was giggling herself which earned the girls a massive grin from their Doctor. The red head calmed herself as Harriet interjected into their conversation.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" The Prime Minister asked clearly confused.

"I'm the Doctor." The Timelord answered automatically.

"He's the Doctor." Both Rose and Artimes said in unison, grinning at each other before looking back at Harriet.

"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?" Harriet asked trying to sort out everything she was learning or not learning.

The Timelord walked towards the baffled Prime Minister.

"I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face…well new everything." He answered making Artimes snort in amusement.

"But you can't be." Harriet replied her brows furrowing in disbelief.

"Harriet Jones. We were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you…wasn't the aliens…wasn't the war…it was the thought of your mother being on her own." He said softly.

"Oh my God." She stated completely stunned.

"Did you win the election?" He asked bending down slightly.

"Landslide majority." She answered smiling, rather pleased by her achievement.

"If I might interrupt!" The Sycorax Leader interjected clearly fed up with being ignored.

They all spun around to face the alien. Artimes frowned slightly. She had actually forgotten that they were standing in an alien spaceship above London and were surrounded by hostile alien warriors seeking to conquer the Earth. She blamed her lack of attention and observation on the incredibly sexy and unintentionally funny Timelord.

"Yes! Sorry! Hello, big fella!" The Doctor exclaimed turning his focus to the previously ignored alien.

"Who exactly are you?" The Sycorax leader asked.

"Well, that's the question." The Timelord stated and the red head snorted yet again.

"That's a _loaded_ question." Artimes corrected, mumbling to Rose.

"No kidding." The blonde whispered back.

"I demand to know who you are!" The Sycorax commanded.

"I DON'T KNOW!" The Doctor replied, mimicking the alien's rough voice.

Artimes and Rose could not stop themselves and erupted into a fit of silent giggles, earning a brief smile of amusement from the Timelord.

"See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I…I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested," He rambled as he began walking around the room, addressing everyone, "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?"

He looked over at the girls and winked at them, giving them a seductive yet cheeky grin. They both blushed and looked away. Artimes cleared her throat and threw him a pointed look, telling him to get on with it. He winked at her again and she just rolled her eyes.

"Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler, a fighter, a coward, a traitor, a liar, a nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob." He continued his movements exaggerated and all over the place.

Both girls were trying their best to remain composed but were still giggling at his lunacy, amusement dancing in their eyes as they glanced at each other.

"And how am I gonna react when I see this? A great big threatening button." He gestured pointing to a large red button before dashing up the stairs, laughing, "A Great Big Threatening Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances. Am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix? Hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?" He ranted before bending down and opening a small door to access the controls underneath the button.

He noticed the red liquid inside and dipped his finger into it. He tasted it, earning incredulous or disgusted looks from everyone except Artimes, who was clutching her side as she shook with barely contained laughter. He stood back up.

"And what've got here? Blood? Yeah, definitely. Blood, human blood, A positive…with just a dash of iron," He stated waggling his tongue around at the nasty taste, wiping his finger on his dressing gown, and then smiling as realization crossed his face, "Ahh, but that means…blood control…Blood Control! Oh! I haven't seen blood control for years! You're controlling all the A positives."

Artimes realized that watching the Doctor actually work out the problem in real life was incredibly hot and definitely attractive. Intellect had always been high on her list of mandatory attributes when looking for a suitable boyfriend and the Doctor certainly fit into that category nicely. She mentally berated herself for being attracted to the Doctor in the first place. He was completely and totally off limits because he belonged to Rose and then later River. There was no place for her in his romantic life and that made her feel rather dejected and cold inside.

She had been so focused on her inner musings that she didn't notice when the Timelord's eyes flickered to her for a moment, their brown depths shining with worry and desperation. She refocused on him when he began talking again.

"Which leaves us with great big stinking problem, because…I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed…" He started looking over at Artimes, their eyes meeting, "Then I just wanna do this."

His right hand reached out in a flash and before anyone could think of stopping him, he slammed his hand down on the big red button, his eyes never wavering from the crimson haired woman.

* * *

Lady A: Tada! Chapter 8: Big Red Button is complete! Yeah, not the best place to stop it but the chapter was getting kind of long so yeah. Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and tell me how much you hate me for leaving the chapter like that. Be on the lookout for Chapter 9: Swords and Witchcraft! Stay tuned!


	9. Chapter 9: Swords and Witchcraft

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Guardian Saga: Seeker! I apologize for not updating but things have been slightly busy here at my place, but I'm back and due to the semi-death threats I am receiving from a few of my reviewers, I would say it was in my best interest to give you guys an update. *chuckles nervously at the death glares she is receiving*

Brief Recap: The Doctor has awoken and made his dramatic debut on the Sycorax ship. Lots of blah blah wolf wolf later, he starts ranting about a big red button and oh, of course, he slams his hand down on it like the big goof ball he is.

Looking Forward: There is more conversation and then, what the heck?! The Doctor has challenged the Sycorax leader to a sword fight with the winner gaining the planet. *blinks* I think the Doctor just had his hand cut off. That's got to hurt…and then there is more talking. Blimey, there is an absurd amount of talking.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Swords and Witchcraft

* * *

"_Which leaves us with great big stinking problem, because…I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed…" He started looking over at Artimes, their eyes meeting, "Then I just wanna do this."_

_His right hand reached out in a flash and before anyone could think of stopping him, he slammed his hand down on the big red button, his eyes never wavering from the crimson haired woman._

* * *

"No!" Rose and Harriet cried out together, their faces mirroring each other's horror.

"You killed them!" Alex the interpreter yelled as well.

Artimes rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Oh please, as if the Doctor would actually knowingly kill innocent human beings." The ginger countered her expression almost bored.

The Timelord flashed a smile at the red head, happy that she had worked it out and had faith in him. He turned his attention to the Sycorax leader.

"What do you think, big fella? Are they dead?" The Doctor asked a knowing look in his brown eyes.

"We allow them to live." The rough voiced alien answered trying to regain control of the situation.

The Timelord scoffed at that.

"Allow? You've no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is…cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotize someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, you can't hypnotize them to death. Survival instinct's too strong." The Doctor countered walking down the steps and leaning on the ledge in front of him.

"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force." The Sycorax threatened.

"No, you can't," Artimes started taking a step towards the front of the group, "because you're only one ship. Quite possibly a rouge element. I'd wager a guess that your own government doesn't even know you're here. That's why you used the blood control to try and scare us into submission. You don't have the numbers for an all out assault against a planet with six billion people, am I right big fella?"

The Sycorax leader glared at her venomously, anger burning in his eyes.

"Our technology is superior to your own and we can unleash its might and destroy you all." He spat more than a little furious that a simple human had worked out what they were.

The Doctor chose that moment to interrupt, a little weary of letting their conversation continue; though he was incredibly impressed by the ginger haired woman. She was clever, quick minded, and rather bold. He liked it.

"Well, yeah, you could. Yeah, you could do that…of course you could, but why? Look at these people." The Timelord started gesturing to the humans and Artimes in particular, "These human beings, consider their potential. In fact, you've already witnessed firsthand with Artz. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than…no, hold on…"

"That's the Lion King, sweetie." Artimes interjected smiling at his mistake.

"Thanks, Artz." He replied flashing her a brief smile before returning his attention to the silently fuming alien, "The point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" The Sycorax leader asked his tone low and menacing.

"Or…" The Doctor started grabbing a sword from one of the warriors guarding Rose and the others.

He ran down the steps, Artimes hot on his trail, and into the empty floor space in front of the Tardis. The ginger moved the sidelines as he raised the sword into the air.

"I challenge you!" He continued.

The Sycorax leader and the countless other warriors on the ship began laughing loudly, the sound of their joined laughter berating heavily on the ginger's ears.

"Oh, that struck a chord." Artimes commented in awe.

The Doctor smiled at her and she grinned back at him, excitement and anticipation dancing in her eyes. This was it, one of her most favorite scenes of all time. The scene that made her fall madly in love with the Doctor's DW counterpart. The scene that made her a true Whovian.

"Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?" The Timelord asked getting down to business as Rose and the others filtered down to where he was.

The Sycorax leader walked down the steps and unsheathed his sword.

"You stand as this world's champion." He stated rather than asked.

"Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." The Doctor replied shrugging out of the dressing gown.

He tossed it towards the girls and Rose caught it. Artimes couldn't tear her eyes away from the Doctor, all her senses completely focused on him.

"So…you accept my challenge? Or are you just a _cranak pel casacree salvak_?" The Timelord continued goading the Sycorax leader.

The alien hissed at the insult or what she assumed to be an insult. They both knelt by their swords and Artimes felt her heartbeat quicken. Her excitement and anticipation were off the charts, but so was her attraction to the very sexy Timelord.

"For the planet?" The rough voiced alien asked.

"For the planet." The Doctor answered his tone low and serious, making shivers run down the ginger's spine but in a good way.

The two combatants stood up and faced each other, holding their swords ready. They ran towards each other and the epic sword battle began. Artimes watched with wide eyes, remembering just why she had fallen in love with The Doctor's DW counterpart and discovering how quickly she was falling for the actual Doctor himself. She was simply in a state of amazement and awe over the entire thing. The Doctor pressed a button on the wall and they took the fight outside.

The others followed hastily with Artimes in the lead, not wanting to miss a single moment of the action. In a lucky move, the Sycorax leader managed to catch the Doctor slightly on his nose and he groaned. Rose moved forward slightly, most likely to intervene, but Artimes held her back.

"No, Rose, don't." Artimes ordered.

"She's right. Stay back. Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet." The Doctor warned.

Both girls stayed rooted in place as he wiped his nose and he and the Sycorax leader ran towards each other again, their swords clashing together in front of them. They both grimaced with effort and the Timelord was knocked backwards to the ground. Artimes forced herself to remain calm and have faith in the Doctor, knowing what was coming next. The alien moved forward and chopped off the Doctor's right hand, the ginger cringing slightly at the action. It fell off the side of the spaceship along with the sword. The Timelord looked up at the Sycorax leader in stunned annoyance.

"You cut my hand off." He said quietly, his tone almost disbelieving.

"Yah! Sycorax!" The leader shouted triumphantly, turning around and gesturing skyward.

The Doctor rose to his feet, his eyes flickering to Artimes. The request in his brown orbs made the ginger's eyes widen in disbelief. He wanted her to get him another sword so he could continue the fight. Did he really trust her that much? In that moment, a warm feeling spread through her entire body and with it came a sense of trust unlike anything she had ever felt. She knew instantly that it was coming from him and she nodded in agreement, her eyes determined. He smiled slightly, refocusing on the prattling Sycorax.

"And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky, because quite by chance…I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy…to do this." He stated calmly as the Sycorax leader turned his attention back to the Timelord.

He held up his arm and his hand regrew, much to everyone's shock…even Artimes was slightly stunned for a moment and she actually knew it was going to happen. It was not something you saw every day.

"Witchcraft." The Sycorax Leader replied.

"Timelord." The Doctor countered his tone almost smug.

Artimes took that moment and rushed one of the guards, withdrawing the warrior's sword from its sheath.

"Doctor!" Both Rose and Artimes shouted together.

Said Timelord turned and the red head tossed it to him. He caught the blade by its hilt and spun it around.

"That's my Artz, always there when I need her." He exclaimed happily, "So I'm still the Doctor then?"

"No arguments from me!" The blonde answered grinning.

"Hell yeah!" Artimes concurred practically jumping in excitement.

The Doctor flashed them both a grin before turning back to the leader of the Sycorax.

"Wanna know the best bit? This new hand…" He started his voice shifting to a Texan accent, "It's a fighting hand!"

The Timelord ran at the Sycorax leader and the fight recommenced. They clashed swords for a few more moments, but it was obvious that the Doctor had the advantage now. The Timelord jabbed the alien hard in the stomach with the hilt of the sword. The onlookers winced as the leader groaned. The Doctor did the same move twice more, causing the Sycorax leader to fall to the ground. The Timelord pointed his sword at the alien's throat.

"I win." He stated.

"Then kill me." The alien bit out.

"I'll spare your life if you take this champion's command: leave this planet and never return. What do you say?" The Doctor asked his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes." The leader answered.

"Swear on the blood of your species." The Doctor growled out, his eyes blazing.

"I swear." The Sycorax leader responded.

The Doctor relaxed, jabbing the sword into the ground.

"There we are then! Thanks for that! Cheers, big fella!" The Doctor replied in a cheery tone, walking away.

"Bravo!" Harriet cheered clapping.

Artimes and Rose rushed forward, smiling happily at their champion.

"That's says it all! Bravo!" Rose said laughing a bit.

"Fantastic!" The ginger agreed her face glowing with excitement and happiness.

The Doctor laughed as the girls helped him into his dressing gown.

"Yeah! Not bad for a man in his jim-jams!" The Timelord commented smiling goofily, "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man."

He reached into the pocket of his dressing gown absentmindedly.

"Hold on, what have I got here?" He asked withdrawing a satsuma from his pocket.

Both girls giggled at his bewildered expression.

"A Satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mother's. He does like his snacks, doesn't he? But that doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" He rambled the red head shaking her head at him, her cheeks beginning to hurt from smiling so much.

He really was hilarious. The group began to walk back towards the door. The Doctor threw the Satsuma into the air and caught it just as easily.

"You get through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's one stupid old Satsuma. Who wants a Satsuma?" He continued.

Artimes tensed when she heard the roar from the Doctor's former opponent. Without breaking his stride, the Doctor lobbed the poor fruit at a switch on the side of the ship. The ground beneath the Sycorax leader opened and the alien fell to his death. The Doctor's smile faded as his eyes hardened.

"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man." He stated his tone low and dangerous.

Artimes took hold of his hand and the Timelord looked down at her. His eyes softened from their stony expression as he squeezed her hand gently. His warm, chocolate brown eyes told her that he was okay and that everything was fine. The group returned to where they were first transported in. The Doctor addressed the remaining Sycorax, still holding the ginger's hand.

"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time and when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet…when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell them this: It…is…defended." The Doctor warned his hand unknowingly squeezing the ginger's, almost like he was drawing strength from her.

The Tardis, the Doctor, Artimes, Rose, Harriet Jones, Mickey, and Alex were all teleported back to the planet below.

* * *

Lady A: And there you have it. Chapter 9: Swords and Witchcraft is complete! Now leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 10: Impossible Wish! Stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 10: Impossible Wish

Lady A: Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait but with the Warrior Saga and the Legacy Saga beating away at my brain, I kind of got delayed.

Readers: *glaring*

Lady A: *chuckles nervously* Alright, alright. I'll stop talking and get to the chapter right away…ish.

Brief Recap: The Doctor had pressed the big red button and released the humans being controlled by the Sycorax. He then challenged their leader for the Earth and won. After an epic speech, they are teleported away.

Looking Forward: Harriet Jones makes a decision. Something is off about Artimes, but no one notices. Later, the Doctor explores the wardrobe and picks out his new attire. Some pleasantries are shared by the ginger and the Timelord resulting in the Doctor asking her something very important.

Readers: *glaring intensifies*

Lady A: *sweat drops* Okay, okay. No need to get your knickers in a twist. The chapter is starting now.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Impossible Wish

* * *

The group materialized in the middle of a street, each one looking around a bit to gauge where they were except for the ginger.

"Where are we?" Rose asked a little disoriented from the teleport.

"We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just around the corner, we did it!" Mickey exclaimed excitedly as he laughed and jumped up and down in glee.

The Doctor held up his hand as the spaceship's engines started up.

"Wait a minute…wait a minute." He said cautiously as everyone looked skyward.

The ship took flight and rose higher into the skies. The Doctor grinned down at the ginger haired woman who had yet to leave his side and she beamed right back at him. She jumped up unexpectedly and wrapped her arms around his neck. The Doctor let out a delighted laugh, relishing the warmth flowing through his mind from their link.

"I knew you would do it." She whispered as Rose and Mickey were doing their own victory celebrations.

The Timelord smiled softly into her hair, his arms wrapping around her in a tighter embrace.

"Thanks to you." He whispered back.

Without her, he doubted that he would have woken up in time to save the Earth. She had been right there, by his side, the entire time. She had believed in him even when his own companion had failed to do so. She trusted him so completely and they had only just met, yet it felt like they had known each other for years.

"Whatever you say, Spaceman." She retorted letting him go and stepping back.

His brows furrowed as he felt her emotions through the link. She didn't believe him. It was almost like she thought she wasn't important…like she was nothing more than an extra. He didn't like it. He couldn't dwell on it much longer because Harriet approached, grinning like mad.

"My Doctor." She said raising her arms.

"Prime Minister." He replied before hugging the woman.

They separated after a moment and the Timelord's eyes flickered to the oddly silent red head. The ginger was simply observing the interactions around her, the feeling of displacement and not belonging radiating through their shared link.

"Absolutely the same man." The Prime Minister commented forcing the Timelord to look back at the official quickly.

The Doctor smiled though he wasn't feeling quite himself. Artimes's emotions were effecting him more than they should and the displacement she was feeling was putting him on edge. Both he and Harriet looked up at the sky while the ginger glanced briefly at Harriet's personal aid, Alex, before returning her focus to them.

"Are there many more out there?" Harriet asked both curious and weary.

"Oh, not just the Sycorax. Hundreds of species, thousands of them, and the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed…more and more. You'd better get used to it." The Timelord answered not noticing how Harriet's eyes began to fill with dread and the heavy weight of responsibility.

* * *

"Rose!" Jackie yelled immediately drawing the red head's attention along with everyone else's.

"Mum!" The younger Tyler called back bolting down the street.

"Oh! Talking of trouble…" The Doctor commented making a weak smile appear on the ginger's face.

Rose reached her mother and her embraced her tightly. Artimes watched on sadly, remembering her own mother and had to quickly shove away the memories of her old life. She couldn't afford to become overly emotional, not with the psychic link to the freshly recovered Timelord. She didn't need him to worry needlessly about her and he would just ask a thousand questions she wasn't ready to answer.

"Oh, my God! You did it, Rose! Oh!" Jackie exclaimed happily.

Artimes had to tune out the rest of the conversation to keep herself in control. In that moment, she felt completely alone. Memories of the Void began to flow into her mind and her jaw clenched tightly to keep the emptiness at bay. Thankfully, Alex's communication device beeped interrupting her emotional descent and allowed her a small amount of control. The former interpreter approached the almost sullen Prime Minister. Harriet watched the happy reunion, her eyes filled with sadness and conflict.

"It's a message from Torchwood. They say they're ready." Alex informed solemnly.

Artimes quickly closed the distance between herself and the conflicted woman.

"I know what it is that you're thinking of doing and I'm asking you properly not to do it. We showed them mercy and they are leaving. Show the universe that humans are not a barbaric race of apes…that we are the bringers of peace and understanding rather than seekers of blood and warfare. Show the countless species in existence that humanity is a beacon of hope, not an harbinger of doom. Please Harriet Jones, trust the Doctor like you once did so long ago and let them go." The red head pleaded quietly, her eyes revealing great kindness and wisdom beyond her years.

The Prime Minister simply stared at the ginger haired woman, the conflict in her eyes raging so fiercely. Harriet was struggling to come to the right decision so she glanced towards the Doctor, hoping to find some kind of answer. The Timelord sent her a brief smile which she feebly tried to return. Suddenly, the conflict ceased and the official's eyes hardened like stone. Artimes knew then that there was no way to convince the woman to change her mind. The decision had been made.

"Tell them to fire." Harriet ordered looking away from the ginger's angry and disappointed eyes.

"Fire at will." Alex conveyed into his comm device.

"It's days like today that make me ashamed of being a human being." Artimes stated her voice hard from her rising anger.

The Doctor must have felt the shift because he started walking over to the trio, only to stop as five beams of green light shot up from different parts of the city and converged into single point. It fired into the sky and hit the leaving spaceship and destroyed it. The now very angry Timelord walked over to Harriet and Artimes, coming stand behind and to the right of the ginger.

"That was murder." The Doctor stated angrily, noticing the red head's rigidity.

"That was defense." Harriet countered.

"That was genocide!" Artimes snapped her rage burning more hotly than before.

"It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago." The Prime Minister continued trying her best to ignore the furious red head.

"But they were leaving." He replied his tone becoming colder as his anger grew alongside the ginger's.

"You said it yourself, Doctor. They'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today…Mr. Llewellyn and the Major. They were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case, we have to defend ourselves." Harriet countered.

"Britain's Golden Age." Artimes spat her tone like the Arctic wind.

"It comes with a price." The official responded not daring to look at the ginger.

"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run…as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming: The human race." He stated his voice mirroring the red head's.

"Artimes worked it out and tried to convince me not to do it, but moreover, what does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?" Harriet countered the warning very clear in her tone.

Something inside the ginger haired woman snapped. She was standing slightly in front of the Doctor so he didn't see it when her royal blue eyes flashed to a liquid and metallic silver. The red head balled up her right hand into a fist and decked the Prime Minister hard. Harriet staggered backwards while clutching her jaw, her surprise and shock written all over her face.

"How dare you talk to him like that, Harriet Jones? He is the Doctor, the word that means healer and wise man throughout the universe. He is the champion of the stars, the hero of time and the savior of worlds. He has saved this planet more times than anyone can count. You do not have the right to speak to him like you are morally superior. Not after you knowingly took the lives of thousands of aliens who were leaving peacefully. You disgust me. The Doctor is a billion times better than you, you stupid ape." Artimes stated her tone filled with a cold fury that made everyone cringe.

* * *

The Doctor quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her back to his front.

'I'm here, Artz. Let me take over, okay?' He asked mentally, using their physical proximity to use his touch telepathy.

The ginger's eyes returned to their normal color and her anger slowly dissipated, leaving her feeling completely drained. She slumped against him and he placed a brief kiss to her head before returning his attention to the Prime Minister.

"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your government with a single word." The Doctor warned slightly calmer now that Artimes was back in control of herself.

He had been more than a little surprised by the sheer magnitude of protectiveness and respect he had felt from her. No one had ever defended him like that which made him all the more keen to keep the mysterious red haired woman. Harriet released her jaw to reveal the fast forming, dark colored bruise on her cheek and jaw bone. The Doctor was a little bit proud that his Artz could throw a punch like that. That was one hell of a right hook.

"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that." The official responded wincing slightly in pain as she talked.

"No, you're right. Not a single word. Just six." He replied his tone completely serious.

"I don't think so." She retorted not believing him at all.

"Six words." He countered softly.

"Stop it!" She demanded wincing badly as she snapped at him.

"Six." He stated, the pair staring at each other in a battle of wills.

He squeezed Artimes gently, making her look up at him with tired eyes. She nodded, giving him a weak smile to let him know that she was alright. After a moment's hesitation, he released her and walked around Harriet. He approached Alex and took of the comm device to whisper into the man's ear. Artimes knew what he was saying: 'Don't you think she looks tired?'

He walked away from the confused man, wrapped his right arm around the red head's waist, and the pair walked over to the others. The group left hearing Harriet shout over and over, asking what the Doctor had said and her final apology.

* * *

Artimes stood outside the Tardis, leaning against the left side. Her head was tilted skyward but her eyes were closed. The Tardis was showing her what the Doctor was up to in the wardrobe and the ginger had _The Song for Ten_ playing in her mind, a smile on her face. She was so engrossed in his antics that she didn't notice how cold it was outside or how she was freezing her butt off once again. She giggled softly when she saw his face light up as he found his trademark suit, followed closely by his usual overcoat.

It didn't take the Timelord long to get dressed and the Tardis, being her usual naughty self, showed Artimes everything while he was changing and the ginger was trying desperately to get her blush to go away. She felt the sentient time ship's amusement flow through her and she simply shook her head.

'Behave, Sexy.' The ginger scolded playfully.

That just made the ship's amusement grow tenfold considering it was a line that her thief would use frequently in his eleventh regeneration. After another minute or two, the Doctor finally emerged from the magical blue box in his new outfit. He looked around, his shoulders slumping when he saw that no one was waiting for him. Artimes rounded the Tardis quietly and leaned her shoulder against the blue box, both her arms and legs crossed in a rather sassy manner.

"Don't you look handsome, Spaceman?" Artimes commented drawing his attention instantly.

* * *

He whirled around to face her, his face lighting up and silly grin stretching across his face when his gaze landed on her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked though he was very happy that she was there.

He hadn't expected her to be there at all. He thought Rose might have waited for him, but the ginger was always taking him by surprise. He should really get used to that.

"Isn't it obvious?" She stated uncrossing her limbs and straightening up, "I was waiting for you."

Well, it was obvious but he wanted to know why. They barely knew each other and yet she acted like they had been friends for years. He found it rather nice, having that sense of familiarity between them.

"How come?" He asked.

Her face softened into one of understanding, her eyes warm and kind.

"I didn't want you to be alone." She answered softly, honesty ringing in every word.

Gratitude flowed through his system and he was honestly touched by her answer. She was always there, kind of like a certain blonde he had met in his most recent adventures. Artimes and Freya were very similar in that regard and they both called him Spaceman too. The difference was, was that Freya always seemed to be so sad like she was lost and was doing the best she could to cope while Artimes seemed to fight against an overwhelming emptiness that threatened to consume her. The wind blew through the street and she shivered.

"Cold?" He asked immediately concerned.

If she had been waiting for him all that time, she had to be freezing.

"Freezing actually. I used to live in Florida, so I'm not used to these kinds of temperatures." She said wrapping her arms around herself, making her appear small and almost fragile.

"Come here." He ordered closing the distance between and hugging her to him.

She dropped her arms and wrapped them around his middle, snuggling into his chest. After a moment, she giggled quietly, arousing his curiosity.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Two hearts. That is just so cool." She answered.

He chuckled at that, a smile appearing on his face.

"I've always thought so." He replied like the smart arse he was.

She giggled then beamed up at him, her royal blue eyes shining with amusement. He could really get lost in those deep blue pools. He had spoken to Rose earlier and the blonde had surprised him by not only saying that she was still his companion and would continue to travel with him, but practically begged him to invite Artimes to come along with them. He had been worried that the younger Tyler wouldn't want to come with him because he had changed but apparently a certain ginger had smoothed things over with his blonde haired companion.

"I want you to come away with me." He stated boldly.

He watched as her face went blank and she stepped away and out of his grasp. His hearts constricted at the rejection, his eyes filling with sadness and despair.

"Have you spoken to Rose, because you can't just invite people along if it will cause trouble with your current companion?" She countered deadly serious.

Was that what she was worried about? That she would somehow be intruding with him and Rose? He felt hope well up in his chest.

"I have already talked to her and she asked…well more like demanded that we bring you along. She's…um…rather taken with you and is insistent on keeping you." The Doctor informed as he watched the ginger anxiously.

"Blimey, what is so special about me? First Rose then the Tardis then you. I've never been this popular before." She joked smiling at him.

"Please." He pleaded his eyes begging.

Every instinct he had was telling him to not leave her behind. The idea felt completely wrong, almost like he was abandoning her and he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She held out her right hand, palm upwards.

"Tardis key." She stated looking him square in the eye.

It was a test of his resolve, but moreover, a test of his trust. Did he trust her? The answer was yes. He withdrew a key hanging from a silver chain and placed it in the palm of her hand. She put it over her head almost instantly and she grinned at him.

"Of course, you stupid clot. I could never turn down the chance to have my impossible wish granted." She said cheekily.

"Impossible wish?" He echoed caught between joy and confusion.

"To see the stars…just a little bit closer." She clarified her tone soft and warm.

His eyes lit up and he brought her into a hug. He lifted her off her feet and swung her around in a circle several times. Their joined laughter echoed throughout the street.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 10: Impossible Wish has been completed. I'm highly curious about what you guys think about Artimes's silver eyes and the mysterious blonde called Freya. Tell me your thoughts and ideas and for anyone who guesses correctly, they get a special shout out in the next chapter along with virtual cupcakes! Leave tons and tons of reviews and keep a lookout for Chapter 11: Prelude to Adventure! Stay tuned!


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